title: Genetic analysis of a complex trait in the Utah Genetic Reference Project: a major locus for PTC taste ability on chromosome 7q and a secondary locus on chromosome 16p.
abstract: The ability to taste phenylthiocarbamide (PTC) shows complex inheritance in humans. We obtained a quantitative measure of PTC tasting ability in 267 members of 26 large three-generation families that were part of a set of CEPH families that had been used for genetic mapping. Significant bimodality was found for the distribution of age and gender adjusted scores (P<0.001), with estimated means of 3.16 (SD=1.80) and 9.26 (SD=1.54). Using the extensive genotyping available in these families from the genetic mapping efforts, we performed a genome scan by using 1324 markers with an average spacing of 4 cM. Analyses were first carried out with a recessive genetic model that has traditionally been assumed for the trait, and a threshold score of 8.0 delineating tasters from non-tasters. In this qualitative analysis, the maximum genome-wide lod score was 4.74 at 246 cM on chromosome 7; 17 families showed segregation of the dichotomous PTC phenotype. No other lod scores were significant; the next highest score was on chromosome 10 (lod=1.64 at 85 cM), followed by chromosome 3 (lod=1.29 at 267 cM). Because PTC taste ability exhibited substantial quantitative variation, the quantitative trait was also analyzed by using a variance components approach in SOLAR. The maximum quantitative genome-wide lod score was 8.85 at 246 cM on chromosome 7. Evidence for other possible quantitative loci was found on chromosomes 1 (lod=2.31 at 344 cM) and 16 (lod=2.01 at 14 cM). A subsequent two-locus whole-genome scan conditional on the chromosome 7 quantitative trait locus identified the chromosome 16 locus (two-locus lod=3.33 at 14 cM).
authors.affiliation: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, NIH, Rockville, MD 20850, USA.
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Drayna
authors.forename: Hilary
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Coon
authors.forename: Un-Kyung
authors.initials: UK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Tami
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Elsner
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cromer
authors.forename: Brith
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Otterud
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baird
authors.forename: Andy P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Peiffer
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leppert
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002885:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 16; D002897:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 7; D006801:Humans; D008126:Lod Score; D008875:Middle Aged; D010670:Phenylthiourea / Q000378:metabolism*; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci; D013649:Taste / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D014589:Utah
chemical_list: D010670:Phenylthiourea