title: Detecting case-control expression quantitative trait loci using locally most powerful or maximin robust rank tests.
abstract: In testing genome-wide gene expression quantitative trait loci, efficiency robust statistical methods and their computational convenience are most relevant. For this purpose, we propose to use a modified locally most powerful rank test for the analysis of case-control expression data. This modified rank test statistic is computationally simple, robust for non-normally distributed expression data, and asymptotically locally most powerful. It depends on the specification of a location distribution form for data but is not sensitive to misspecifications. When such a location distribution form cannot be specified, we apply Gastwirth's maximin efficiency robust rank test to gene expression data to maximize the worst Pitman asymptotic relative efficiency among a family of location distributions. We conduct simulation studies to assess their performance and use an application to real data for illustration.
authors.affiliation: National Human Genome Center, Howard University, 2216 Sixth Street NW, Washington, DC 20059, USA. yuanao@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Ao
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: Jinfeng
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Qingqi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zheng
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003198:Computer Simulation; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods*; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics; D040641:Quantitative Trait Loci