Evidence for linkage of stature to chromosome 3p26 in a large U.K. Family data set ascertained for type 2 diabetes

Abstract

We have analyzed data from 573 pedigrees from the United Kingdom for evidence for linkage to loci influencing adult stature. Our data set comprised 1,214 diabetic and 163 nondiabetic siblings for whom height data were available. We used variance-components analysis implemented in GENEHUNTER 2 and a modification of the Haseman-Elston regression method, HE-COM. We found evidence for a locus on 3p26 (LOD score 3.17) influencing height in this adult sample, with less-significant evidence for loci on chromosomes 7, 10, 15, 17, 19, and 20. Our findings extend similar recent studies in Scandinavian and Quebecois populations, adding further evidence that height is indeed under the control of multiple genes.

Figure 1

Multipoint genomewide variance-components linkage analysis of adult stature, with 418 autosomal microsatellite markers. The analysis was performed on a sample of 573 nuclear pedigrees containing 1,136 phenotyped sib pairs, with GENEHUNTER 2. Chromosome numbers on the X-axis are placed at the midpoint of the respective chromosomes.

Figure 2

Multipoint variance-components and HE-COM linkage analyses of adult stature, with 23 microsatellite markers on chromosome 3. For comparison between the two analyses, variance-components LOD scores are presented as −log₁₀(nominal P value). QMS2 assigns P=1 for zero or negative values of the test statistic.