Multifactorial Inheritance Flashcards
When is multifactorial inheritance indicated?
When there is an increased risk to relatives, but there is no consistent pattern of inheritance within families
What contributes to susceptibility in multifactorial inheritance?
possibly multiple genes and/or environmental factors
What are simple mendelian diseases, usually?
single gene disorders characterized by inheritance patterns that follow Mendelian expectations and are discernable by examining pedigrees with multiple effected individuals
One to one relationship between whether you have the variant and whether you have the trait - means likely what kind of trait?
Simple Mendelian
What is a classic example of a simiple Mendelian trait?
Sickle Cell
Complex traits
Characteristics of diseases that demonstrate multifactorial inheritance (4)
Incomplete penetrance
Variable expressivity
Heterogeneity - allele and locus
Presence of phenocopies
Do complex traits aggregate in families?
Yes, complex traits tend to aggregate in families but they do not show the typical Mendelian inheritance patterns
What is a major obstacle when trying to determine genetics of complex traits?
Distinguishing between clustering in families due to genetic factors and due to shared environment
One of the major obstacle in studying complex traits and multifactorial inheritance is distinguishing between clustering due to genetic vs. environmental factors… what kind of studies are done to overcome this? (3)
Epidemiologic Twin
Adoption
Immigration
Twin studies…
MZ vs. DZ
MZ - 100% genetic similarity
DZ - 50% genetic similarity
Both share X% environment
If twins raised together and assume same degree of similar environment, then differences in concordance between MZ and DZ likely due to genetic factors
For studies comparing MZ and DZ twins, what is the key assumption?
That the X% shared environment is the same for mono and dizygotic twins
What is concordance rate?
How often both twins are either diseased or not diseased
Twin Studies…what can we clean from monozygotic twins raised apart?
If twins raised apart and assume had different environments, then similarities in trait (high concordance rates) are likely due to genetic factors
What is the key assumption for twin studies comparing monozygotic twins raised apart?
That their environment were different
What information can we glean from adoption studies?
If biological siblings raised apart are more similar than adopted siblings raised together (higher concordance rate) - then have evidence for genetic component as opposed to environmental
How do we compare frequency of disease in relative of patients to see if higher than in general population?
lambda S =
Risk of disease in siblings of affected /
Risk of disease in general population
What would be the Lamba S score (risk of disease in relative calculation) if the risk in the general population for type I diabetes is 0.4% and the risk to sibling of type I diabetes patient is 6%?
Lambda S = 6/0.4 = 15
What is the heritability of a trait?
The proportion of total variance in a trait that is due to variation in genes