A whole-genome scan for stroke or myocardial infarction in family blood pressure program families.
OBJECTIVE
Atherothrombotic diseases, including stroke and myocardial infarction, share a common pathogenesis. Chromosomal regions have been linked to atherothrombotic diseases in family studies, and association studies have identified candidate gene polymorphisms that affect the risk of stroke and/or myocardial infarction. Using data from the Family Blood Pressure Program, we tested for chromosomal regions linked to the composite phenotype of stroke or myocardial infarction in a large set of hypertensive families.


METHODS
Nonparametric linkage analysis was implemented in MERLIN, which tests for excess allele-sharing among affected siblings. Empirical distributions based on gene dropping simulations were constructed for each test statistic, and the -log(10) of the associated probability values were compared.


RESULTS
Analyses were based on 9607 individuals in 226 black, 395 Hispanic, and 207 white families; 106 families had multiple affected individuals. Several regions showed linkage to stroke or myocardial infarction, most significantly in Hispanics on chromosomes 2p21 (-log(10) P=3.0) and 7q21.1 (-log(10) P=2.8), 9q32 in blacks and Hispanics (-log(10) P=3.0), 11p13 in blacks (-log(10) P=2.1), and 12q24.33 in whites (-log(10) P=3.0).


CONCLUSIONS
There is statistically significant evidence for loci affecting stroke or myocardial infarction on chromosomes 2, 9, and 12.
Sherva
Richard
R
Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA.
Miller
Michael B
MB
Pankow
James S
JS
Hunt
Steven C
SC
Boerwinkle
Eric
E
Mosley
Thomas H
TH
Weder
Alan B
AB
Curb
J David
JD
Luke
Amy
A
Morrison
Alanna C
AC
Fornage
Myriam
M
Arnett
Donna K
DK
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000235:genetics*; D002881:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 12; D002889:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 2; D002899:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 9; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D023281:Genomics; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D010641:Phenotype; D020521:Stroke / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data