Pedigree transmission disequilibrium test for quantitative traits in farm animals

General pedigrees are very common in farm animals,and the recent availability of large panels of SNPs in domestic species has given new momentum to the search for the mutations underlying variation in quantitative traits.In this paper,we proposed a new transmission disequilibrium test approach,called the pedigree transmission disequilibrium test,which deals with general pedigrees and quantitative traits in farm animals.Compared with the existing pedigree disequilibrium test (PDT) and general linear model-based method QTDT,our approach performed better with higher power and lower type I error,especially in scenarios where the quantitative trait locus (QTL) effect was small.We also investigated the application of our approach in selective genotyping design.Our simulation studies indicated that it was plausible to implement a selective genotyping strategy in the proposed pedigree transmission disequilibrium test.We found that our approach performed equally well or better when only some proportion of the individuals in the two tails were genotyped compared with its performance when all the individuals in the pedigree were genotyped.     

基于单体型重构的传递不平衡检验

传递不平衡检验是基于家系检测疾病位点与标记位点之间连锁与连锁不平衡的经典分析方法。论文针对紧密连锁位点,提出了单体型的传递不平衡检验方法,并把此方法用于分析IgA肾病的两紧密连锁位点的基因定位数据。首先在估计核心家系的单体型频率的基础上,重构单体型的传递/未传递的交叉分类表格,然后通过检验此表格的对称性与边缘齐性进行传递不平衡检验,同时,自编Excel宏命令VBA程序,用于家系数据单体型频率估计与重构。此方法充分利用所有家系信息,并能处理缺失数据。C2093T-C2081T的单体型多态性与IgA肾病关联。此方法推广了已有单体型传递不平衡检验。     

Composite interval mapping of QTL for dynamic traits

The theoretical foundation for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) was laid by Sax[1] who discovered the association between the segregation pattern of pigment markers with seed size of bean. However, statistical methods were not well developed until th…     

Methods for mapping QTLs underlying endosperm traits based on random hybridization design

Cereal grains are mainly composed of endosperms, which are humans’ staple food containing rich nutri- tious substances such as starch, protein and lipid. Many endosperm traits are related to grain yield and quality. Therefore, studying the genetic basis …     

Dissecting anxiety-related QTLs in mice by univariate and multivariate mapping

To detect genes underlying anxiety-related traits in mice,we performed univariate and multivariate QTL mapping analyses of phenotypes obtained from 71 mice of the BXD recombinant inbred (RI) strains (n=528 mice) and their parental strains (C57BL/6J and DBA/2J).Separate and joint mapping analyses were carried out using a linkage map composed of 506 simple sequence repeats (SSRs).The main QTL effects,interactions between pairs of QTLs (epistasis),and their environmental interactions were estimated.The results showed that anxiety-related traits were influenced by multiple QTLs (five main effect QTLs and three epistatic QTLs).Ten potential anxiety-related candidate genes within the QTL intervals on chromosomes 5,13 and 15 were identified.Some of these genes have been reported previously to be associated with the anxiety response.Based on our results,it is suggested that the multivariate QTL mapping approach improves the statistical power for detecting QTL and the precision of parameter estimation.Moreover,multivariate mapping can also detect pleiotropic QTL effects.     

A method for haplotype inference in general pedigrees without recombination

The abundance of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) makes the haplotype-based method instead of single-maker-oriented method the main approach to association studies on QTL mapping. The key problem in haploptype-based method is how to reconstruct haplotypes from genotype data. Directly assaying haplotypes in diploid individuals by experimental methods is too expensive, therefore the in silico haplotyping-determination methods are the major choice at the present. This paper presents a rapid and reliable algorithm for haplotype reconstruction for tightly linked SNPs in general pedigrees. It is based on six rules and consists of three steps. First, the parental origins of alleles in offspring are assigned conditional on genotypes in parent-offspring trios; second, the redundant haplotypes are eliminated based on the six rules; and finally, the most likely haplotype combinations are chosen via maximum likelihood method. Our method was verified and compared with PEDPHASE by simulated data with different pedigree sizes, numbers of loci, and proportions of missing genotypes. The result shows that our algorithm was superior to PEDPHASE in terms of computing time and accuracy of haplotype estimation. The computing time for 100 runs was 10―15 times less and the accuracy was 4%―10% higher than PEDPHASE. The result also indicates that our method was very robust and was hardly affected by pedigree size, number of loci, and proportion of missing genotypes.     

Genetic mechanisms of floral trait correlations in a natural population

Genetic correlations among traits are important in evolution, as they can constrain evolutionary change or reflect past selection for combinations of traits. Constraints and integration depend on whether the correlations are caused by pleiotropy or linkage disequilibrium, but these genetic mechanisms underlying correlations remain largely unknown in natural populations. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping studies do not adequately address the mechanisms of within-population genetic correlations because they rely on crosses between distinct species, inbred lines or selected lines (see ref. 5), and they cannot distinguish moderate linkage disequilibrium from pleiotropy because they commonly rely on only one or two episodes of recombination. Here I report that after nine generations of enforced random mating (nine episodes of recombination), correlations between six floral traits in wild radish plants are unchanged, showing that pleiotropy generates the correlations. There is no evidence for linkage disequilibrium despite previous correlational selection acting on one functionally integrated pair of traits. This study provides direct evidence of the genetic mechanisms underlying correlations between quantitative traits in a natural population and suggests that there may be constraints on the independent evolution of pairs of highly correlated traits.     

LOD score exclusion analyses for candidate disease susceptibility genes using case-parents design

The focus of almost all the association studies of candidate genes is to test for their importance. We recently developed a LOD score approach that can be used to test against the importance of candidate genes for complex diseases and quantitative traits in random samples. As a complementary method to regular association analyses, our LOD score approach is powerful but still affected by the population admixture, though it is more conservative. To control the confounding effect of population heterogeneity, we develop here a LOD score exclusion analysis using case?parents design, the basic design of the transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) approach that is immune to population admixture. In the analysis, specific genetic effects and inheritance models at candidate genes can be analyzed and if a LOD score is ≤-2.0, the locus can be excluded from having an effect larger than that specified. Simulations show that this approach has reasonable power to exclude a candidate gene having small genetic effects if it is not a disease susceptibility locus (DSL) with sample size often employed in TDT studies. Similar to association analyses with the TDT in nuclear families, our exclusion analyses are generally not affected by population admixture. The exclusion analyses may be implemented to rule out candidate genes with no or minor genetic effects as supplemental analyses for the TDT. The utility of the approach is illustrated with an application to test the importance of vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene underlying the differential risk to osteoporosis.     

Advances on methods for mapping QTL in plant

Advances on methods for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) are firstly summarized. Then, some new methods, including mapping multiple QTL, fine mapping of QTL, and mapping QTL for dynamic traits, are mainly described. Finally, some future prospects are proposed, including how to dig novel genes in the germplasm resource, map expression QTL (eQTL) by the use of all markers, phenotypes and micro-array data, identify QTL using genetic mating designs and detect viability loci. The purpose is to direct plant geneticists to choose a suitable method in the inheritance analysis of quantitative trait and in search of novel genes in germplasm resource so that more potential genetic information can be uncovered.     

复合性状的QTL定位模型构建

【目的】传统复合性状的QTL(quantitative trait locus)定位方法仅仅利用两个或几个构成性状的计算值作为表型值,未考虑复合性状的生物学内涵,从而影响定位的准确性。因此,发展适合于复合性状的QTL定位模型,对于深入解析控制复合性状的遗传结构,进而提高基因定位准确性显得越来越重要。【方法】针对全基因组重测序数据,构建了一个复合性状QTL定位模型(composite traits mapping model, CTM),利用CTM对复合性状进行分解,把分解后的组分以二元或多元正态分布形式整合到QTL作图的框架内。【结果】应用CTM分析杨树材积生长数据,可成功定位到大量与杨树材积生长相关的基因,并与传统方法进行了比较,定位出较多的显著位点,表现出较好的性能。计算机模拟试验表明,所构建的CTM模型在定位复合性状QTL中具有较高的效力,在达到一定的样本数量和遗传力条件下,CTM模型具有较强的效力,样本量和遗传力的增加都能够增加参数估计的精度。【结论】CTM模型有助于复合性状遗传结构的解析,促进林木分子标记辅助育种的开展。     

水稻早熟大穗品系7-37二次枝梗数的QTL定位研究

通过水稻穗部性状的改良尤其是增加二次枝梗数更有助于实现水稻的大穗和高产。本研究以7-37作为二次枝梗数QTL定位的亲本材料,通过小穗广亲和品种02428与7-37杂交并自交获得02428/7-37F₂,然后对该F₂群体中随机选取的284个单株主茎穗的二次枝梗数进行遗传分析,结果表明二次枝梗数呈典型的正态分布,说明二次枝梗数受多基因控制,属数量性状,与前人的研究结果是一致的;在此基础上,利用从339对SSR引物中筛选出的均匀分布于12条染色体上的58对多态性引物对F₂群体中的284个单株进行PCR扩增分析,再利用QTL Icimapping作图软件,采用复合区间作图法对7-37的二次枝梗数进行了QTL分析和作图,结果在4号染色体25.0~30.5 Mb区间内和6号染色体6.6~30.8Mb区间内分别定位出了二次枝梗数相关QTL位点,LOD值分别为5.73和2.56,贡献率分别为8.95%和4.38%,加性效应分别为-5.71和-3.85,显性效应分别为-2.83和-1.30。这些研究结果为下一步二次枝梗数QTL位点的精细定位、克隆和功能分析提供了研究基础。     

A new statistical method for mapping QTLs underlying endosperm traits

Genetic expression for an endosperm trait in seeds of cereal crops may be controlled simultaneously by the triploid endosperm genotypes and the diploid maternal genotypes. However, current statistical methods for mapping quantitative trait loci （QTLs） underlying endosperm traits have not been effective in dealing with the putative maternal genetic effects. Combining the quantitative genetic model for diploid maternal traits with triploid endosperm traits, here we propose a new statistical method for mapping QTLs controlling endosperm traits with maternal genetic effects. This method applies the data set of both DNA molecular marker genotypes of each plant in segregation population and the quantitative observations of single endosperms in each plant to map QTL. The maximum likelihood method implemented via the expectation-maximization algorithm was used to the estimate parameters of a putative QTL. Since this method involves the maternal effect that may contribute to endosperm traits, it might be more congruent with the genetics of endosperm traits and more helpful to increasing the precision of QTL mapping. The simulation results show the proposed method provides accurate estimates of the QTL effects and locations with high statistical power.     

小麦品质性状的QTL定位研究进展

本文系统地总结了国内外小麦品质性状QTL定位研究的主要性状、所用群体、标记类型、QTL定位所在的染色体位置及贡献率的大小,提出了小麦品质性状QTL定位中存在的问题,展望了小麦品质性状QTL定位的发展方向。     

Statistical approaches in QTL mapping and molecular breeding for complex traits

Most of the important agronomic traits in crops,such as yield and quality,are complex traits affected by multiple genes with gene × gene interaction as well as gene × environment interaction.Understanding the genetic architecture of complex traits is a long-term task for quantitative geneticists and plant breeders who wish to design efficient breeding programs.Conventionally,the genetic properties of traits can be revealed by partitioning the total variation into variation components caused by specific genetic effects.With recent advances in molecular genotyping and high-throughput technology,the unraveling of the genetic architecture of complex traits by analyzing quantitative trait locus (QTL) has become possible.The improvement of complex traits has also been achieved by pyramiding individual QTL.In this review,we describe some statistical methods for QTL mapping that can be used to analyze QTL × QTL interaction and QTL × environment interaction,and discuss their applications in crop breeding for complex traits.     

Relative efficiency of marker assisted selection when marker and QTL are incompletely linked

The relative superiority in selection response of two basic marker-assisted selection strategies, marker-assisted BLUP (MBLUP) and two-stage selection, in comparison to standard BLUP was investigated using stochastic simulation of a closed nucleus herd. In marker-assisted BLUP the marker information and the phenotypic information were utilized simultaneously for selecting parental animals, whereas in two-stage selection they were utilized separately in two stages. Different heritabilities and QTL sizes were considered in the simulation. The QTL was assumed to be referred only via flanking markers, which were incompletely linked to the QTL. It was shown that both MBLUP and two-stage selection increased the QTL response but decreased the polygenic response. When the heritability was low or the QTL effect was large MBLUP was superior to standard BLUP by up to 5% with respect to total genetic response. While the two-stage selection did not show any superiority although it gave extremely large increase in QTL response due to a rapid increase in favorable QTL allele frequency. The relative responses of MAS were stark associated with the generations of selection. The superiority or inferiority of MAS was large in the early generations and became small or vanished in the later generations.     

A population genetics model of linkage disequilibrium in admixed populations

Understanding linkage disequilibrium (LD) created in admixed population and the rate of decay in the disequilibrium over evolution is an important subject in population genetics theory and in disease gene mapping in human populations. The present study represents the theoretical investigation of effects of gene frequencies, levels of LD and admixture proportions of donor populations on the evolutionary dynamics of the LD of the admixed population. We examined the conditions under which the admixed population reached linkage equilibrium or the peak level of the LD. The study reveals the inappropriateness in approximating the dynamics of the LD generated by population admixture by the commonly used formula in literature. An appropriate equation for the dynamics is proposed. The distinct feature of the newly suggested formula is that the value of the nonlinear component of the LD remains constant in the first generation of the population evolution. Comparison between the predicted disequilibrium dynamics shows that the error will be caused by using the old formula, and thus resulting in a misguidance in using the evolutionary information of the admixed population in gene mapping.     

Estimation of statistical power and false discovery rate of QTL mapping methods through computer simulation

Many QTL mapping methods have been developed in the past two decades.Statistically,the best method should have a high detection power but a low false discovery rate (FDR).Power and FDR cannot be derived theoretically for most QTL mapping methods,but they can be properly evaluated using computer simulations.In this paper,we used four genetic models (two for independent loci and two for linked loci) to illustrate power and FDR estimation for interval mapping (IM) and inclusive composite interval mapping (ICIM).For each model,we simulated 1000 populations each of 200 doubled haploids.A support interval (SI) was first defined to indicate to which predefined QTL the significant QTL belonged.Power was calculated by counting the number of simulation runs with significant peaks higher than the logarithm of odds (LOD) threshold in the SI.Quantitative trait loci not identified in any SIs were viewed as false positives.The FDR is the rate at which QTLs are identified as significant when they are actually non-significant.Simulation results allowed us to estimate power and FDR of IM and ICIM for two independent and two linkage genetic models.Our estimates allowed us to readily compare the efficiencies of different statistical methods for QTL mapping,including the ability to separate linkage,under a wide range of genetic models.We used IM and ICIM as examples of how to estimate power and FDR,but the principles shown in this paper can be used for power analysis and comparison of any other QTL mapping methods,especially those based on interval tests.     

Conditional and unconditional mapping of quantitative trait loci underlying plant height and tiller number in rice (Oryza sativa L.)grown at two nitrogen levels

In this study, we used 127 double haploid (DH) lines to analyze agricultural traits of rice. The DH lines, derived from a ZYQ8 (indica)/JX17 (japonica) cross by anther culture, contained 160 RFLP and 83 SSR markers. Unconditional and conditional quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping was conducted to analyze plant height (PH) and tillers per plant (TP) at ?ve growth stages that were grown at two nitrogen levels. Fourteen PH and 13 TP unconditional QTL were identified in the di?erent growth stages, including 19 QTL from high-nitrogen (HN) and 14 QTL from low-nitrogen (LN) conditions. The conditional QTL for 14 genomic regions under LN/HN conditions showed that there was a significant effect on PH and TP across the different stages. Only one conditional QTL, ph2-3, was unable to be detected in unconditional mapping. More QTL were detected in the ?rst four rice growth stages than in the final stage. Furthermore, a line from the DH mapping population, DH78, was identified in extreme phenotypes of PH and TP that exhibited dwarfism and less-tiller (dft) characters. The gene dft1 was mapped to chromosome 2 using a backcrossed population of DH78/JX17 through a mapbased cloning strategy. The location of dft1 coincided with the mapping region of the small-LOD peak, QTL ph2 and tp2, which were identified in plants grown in low-nitrogen conditions. Further backcrossing and fine-mapping successfully delimited the dft1 locus to a 91 kb region.     

Conditional and unconditional mapping of quantitative trait loci underlying plant height and tiller number in rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown at two nitrogen levels

In this study,we used 127 double haploid (DH) lines to analyze agricultural traits of rice.The DH lines,derived from a ZYQ8 (indica)/JX17 (japonica) cross by anther culture,contained 160 RFLP and 83 SSR markers.Unconditional and conditional quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping was conducted to analyze plant height (PH) and tillers per plant (TP) at five growth stages that were grown at two nitrogen levels.Fourteen PH and 13 TP unconditional QTL were identified in the different growth stages,including 19 QTL from high-nitrogen (HN) and 14 QTL from low-nitrogen (LN) conditions.The conditional QTL for 14 genomic regions under LN/HN con-ditions showed that there was a significant effect on PH and TP across the different stages.Only one conditional QTL,ph2-3,was unable to be detected in unconditional mapping.More QTL were detected in the first four rice growth stages than in the final stage.Further-more,a line from the DH mapping population,DH78,was identified in extreme phenotypes of PH and TP that exhibited dwarfism and less-tiller (dft) characters.The gene dftl was mapped to chromosome 2 using a backcrossed population of DH78/JX17 through a map-based cloning strategy.The location of dftl coincided with the mapping region of the small-LOD peak,QTL ph2 and tp2,which were identified in plants grown in low-nitrogen conditions.Further backcrossing and fine-mapping successfully delimited the dftl locus to a 91 kb region.     

Bin-based model construction and analytical strategies for dissecting complex traits with chromosome segment substitution lines

Chromosome segment substitution lines have been created in several experimental models,including many plant and animal species,and are useful tools for the genetic analysis and mapping of complex traits.The traditional t-test is usually applied to identify a quantitative trait locus (QTL) that is contained within a chromosome segment to estimate the QTL’s effect.However,current methods cannot uncover the entire genetic structure of complex traits.For example,current methods cannot distinguish between main effects and epistatic effects.In this paper,a linear epistatic model was constructed to dissect complex traits.First,all the long substituted segments were divided into overlapping small bins,and each small bin was considered a unique independent variable.The genetic model for complex traits was then constructed.When considering all the possible main effects and epistatic effects,the dimensions of the linear model can become extremely high.Therefore,variable selection via stepwise regression (Bin-REG) was proposed for the epistatic QTL analysis in the present study.Furthermore,we tested the feasibility of using the LASSO (least absolute shrinkage and selection operator) algorithm to estimate epistatic effects,examined the fully Bayesian SSVS (stochastic search variable selection) approach,tested the empirical Bayes (E-BAYES) method,and evaluated the penalized likelihood (PENAL) method for mapping epistatic QTLs.Simulation studies suggested that all of the above methods,excluding the LASSO and PENAL approaches,performed satisfactorily.The Bin-REG method appears to outperform all other methods in terms of estimating positions and effects.