Accuracy of heritability estimations in presence of hidden population stratification.

ABSTRACT: The heritability of a trait is the proportion of its variance explained by genetic factors; it has historically been estimated using familial data. However, new methods have appeared for estimating heritabilities using genomewide data from unrelated individuals. A drawback of this strategy is that population stratification can bias the estimates. Indeed, an environmental factor associated with the phenotype may differ among population subgroups. This factor being associated both with the phenotype and the genetic variation in the population would be a confounder. A common solution consists in adjusting on the first Principal Components (PCs) of the genomic data. We study this procedure on simulated data and on 6000 individuals from the Three-City Study. We analyse the geographical coordina

SUBMITTER: Dandine-Roulland C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4879529 | biostudies-literature | 2016 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature