A whole-genome admixture scan finds a candidate locus for multiple sclerosis susceptibility.
Multiple sclerosis is a common disease with proven heritability, but, despite large-scale attempts, no underlying risk genes have been identified. Traditional linkage scans have so far identified only one risk haplotype for multiple sclerosis (at HLA on chromosome 6), which explains only a fraction of the increased risk to siblings. Association scans such as admixture mapping have much more power, in principle, to find the weak factors that must explain most of the disease risk. We describe here the first high-powered admixture scan, focusing on 605 African American cases and 1,043 African American controls, and report a locus on chromosome 1 that is significantly associated with multiple sclerosis.
Reich
David
D
Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. reich@receptor.med.harvard.edu
Patterson
Nick
N
De Jager
Philip L
PL
McDonald
Gavin J
GJ
Waliszewska
Alicja
A
Tandon
Arti
A
Lincoln
Robin R
RR
DeLoa
Cari
C
Fruhan
Scott A
SA
Cabre
Philippe
P
Bera
Odile
O
Semana
Gilbert
G
Kelly
M Ann
MA
Francis
David A
DA
Ardlie
Kristin
K
Khan
Omar
O
Cree
Bruce A C
BA
Hauser
Stephen L
SL
Oksenberg
Jorge R
JR
Hafler
David A
DA
D001741:Black or African American / Q000235:genetics; D002874:Chromosome Mapping / Q000379:methods; D002878:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 1 / Q000235:genetics*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D015894:Genome, Human; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*