3. Statistical Genetics Flashcards
Locus
Definition
- location in the genome usually of genetic variation of interest
- this can be a single base or a whole gene
What can the risk of developing a disease be as a result of?
- a major gene
- polygenes
Major Gene
Definition
- a single locus that increases the risk of developing a disease
- such diseases are called Mendelian diseases
Polygenes
Definition
- the cumulative effect of a large number of genetic loci each having a small effect that, when taken together, increase the risk of a disease
- such diseases are called complex diseases
- the majority of diseases are complex
Penetrance Function
Definition
- the set of probability distribution functions for the phenotype given the genotype
- denoted Pr(Y|G) or P(Y|G) where Y is the phenotype and G is the genotype
- assuming a binary trait, Y=1 indicates having the disease and Y=0 indicates unaffected
Phenocopy
Definition
- an individual whose disease is due to environmental rather than genetic factors
- usually we assume no phenocopies i.e. all risk of disease comes only form genetic factors
Fully Pentrant
Definition
- if Pr(Y|DD)=1 or Pr(Y|dD)=1 in the case of a dominant allele, we say that the genotype is fully penetrant
- it is sufficient to cause the disease
Dominant
Definition
Pr(Y|dD) = Pr(Y|DD)
- a single copy of the mutant allele is sufficient to produce an increase in risk
- allele D is dominant over allele d
Recessive
Definition
Pr(Y|dD) = Pr(Y|dd)
- two copies of the mutant allele are necessary to produce an increase in risk
- equivalently, one copy of the normal allele is sufficient to provide protection
- allele D is recessive to d
Codominant
Definition
- Pr(Y|dd) ≠ Pr(YdD) ≠ Pr(Y|DD)
- all three genotypes have different effects on disease risk
- in most cases, the heterozygotes have an effect that is intermediate between that of the two homozygotes
Additive / Dose-Dependent
Definition
- a special case of co-dominance where Pr(Y|dD) is midway between Pr(Y|dd) and Pr(Y|DD)
- i.e. the effect of DD increasing the risk of disease is twice as great as the effect of dD
Mendelian Inheritance
Mendels Law
- the description of inheritance of genes can be sumarised in two principles:
1) segregation of alleles
2) independent assortment - as well as two concepts, independent expression and random mating
Mendelian Inheritance
First Principle
- each individual carries two copies of each gene, one inherited from each parent
- alleles at any given gene are transmitted randomly and with equal probability
Mendelian Inheritance
Second Principle
- alleles of different genes are transmitted independently
- we now know that this does not apply when loci are located near each other on the same chromosome (linkage)
Mendelian Inheritance
Third Concept
- the expression of genes is independent of which parent they came from
- heterozygotes have the same penetrance wheher the D allele came from the father and the d allele from the mother or vice versa
- this is generally accepted although there are some exceptions
Mendelian Inheritance
Fourth Concept
- random mating
- the probability of two individuals mating is independent of their genotypes at the locus of interest
Transmission Probabilities
-the probability distribution for gametes transmitted from a single parent to their offspring
Autosomal Dominant Inheritance
Pr(Y|dd) = 0
Pr(Y|dD) = Pr(Y|DD) = 1
-most dominant alleles are rare
-probability of a homozygous carrier, DD, is extremely rare and can be ignored
-this means that a case must be Dd
-since the disease is rare it is unlikely for two carriers to mate so the only matings of interest are dD x dd
Autosomal Recessive Inheritance
- assume that only the DD genotype is affected, full penetrance and no phenocopies
- an infected individual must have inherited one defective copy from each parent
- most recessive traits are rare so parents are unlikely to be homozygotes, likely to be Dd x Dd
X-Linked Inheritance
- males are XY, females are XX
- in females only one of the two X chromosomes is expressed, the other is inactivated early in development
- the mother always transmits an X chromosome, the father can transmit either an X or a Y thus determining the sex of the offspring
Segregation Analysis
Definition
- the process of fitting genetic models (dominant, recessive, codominant) to data on phenotypes
- aims to test hypotheses about whether one or major genes and/or polygenes can account for the observed pattern of aggregation
Segregation Analysis for Autosomal Dominant Diseases
- since the disease is rare, most matings between an affected and an unaffected person will be Ddxdd
- the offspring of this mating has a 1/2 chance of being affected
- can test whether segregation ratio in observed data is 1/2
- several tests: binomial test, standard normal test, Pearson chi-square test and likelihood-ratio chi-square test
Autosomal Dominant Disease Tests
Binomial Test
-suppose a random sample of matings between affected and unaffected individuals is obtained and that out of the total n offspring, r are affected
-null hypothesis - the segregation ratio is 1/2
-regard each offspring as a trial and each affected as a success, then Ho:p=1/2 and
P(X=x) = nCx p^x [1-p]^(n-x)
-for a two-tailed test, the p-value associated with r affected individuals out of n offspring is given by a sum of binomial probabilities
p = (1/2)^(n-1) Σ nCx
-where the sum is from x=0 to x=c
-where c=r if r≤n/2 and c=n-r if r>n/2