title: Extended intermarker linkage disequilibrium in the Afrikaners.
abstract: In this study we conducted an investigation of the background level of linkage disequilibrium (LD) in the Afrikaner population to evaluate the appropriateness of this genetic isolate for mapping complex traits. We analyzed intermarker LD in 62 nuclear families using microsatellite markers covering extended chromosomal regions. The markers were selected to allow the first direct comparison of long-range LD in the Afrikaners to LD in other demographic groups. Using several statistical measures, we find significant evidence for LD in the Afrikaners extending remarkably over a 6-cM range. In contrast, LD decays significantly beyond 3-cM distances in the other founder and outbred populations examined. This study strongly supports the appropriateness of the Afrikaner population for genome-wide scans that exploit LD to map common, multigenic disorders.
authors.affiliation: The Rockefeller University, Human Neurogenetics Laboratory, New York, NY 10021, USA.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: Ellen M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Wijsman
authors.forename: J Louw
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Roos
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Gogos
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karayiorgou
mesh_terms: D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002887:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18 / Q000235:genetics; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000235:genetics*; D005819:Genetic Markers / Q000235:genetics; D005828:Genetics, Population; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium / Q000235:genetics*; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D009426:Netherlands; D013019:South Africa; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D005819:Genetic Markers