Bayesian Method for Disease QTL Detection and Mapping, using a Case and Control Design and DNA Pooling

Abstract

This paper describes a Bayesian statistical method for determining the genetic basis of a complex genetic trait. The method uses a sample of unrelated individuals classified into two groups, for example cases and controls. Each group is assumed to have been genotyped at a battery of marker loci using a laboratory effort efficient technique called DNA pooling. The aim is to detect and map a quantitative trait locus (QTL) that is not one of the typed markers. The method works by conducting an exact Bayesian analysis under a number of simplifying population genetic assumptions that are somewhat unrealistic. Despite this, the method is shown to perform acceptably on datasets simulated under a more realistic model, and furthermore is shown to outperform classical single point methods.