Dataset Information

Overlap of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) in human brain and blood.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) are genomic regions regulating RNA transcript expression levels. Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS) have identified many variants, often in non-coding regions, with unknown functions and eQTL provide a possible mechanism by which these variants may influence observable phenotypes. Limited access and availability of tissues such as brain has led to the use of blood as a substitute for eQTL analyses.

Methods

Here, we evaluate the overlap of eQTL reported in published studies conducted in blood and brain tissues to assess the utility of blood as an alternative to brain tissue in the study of neurological and psychiatric conditions. Expression QTL results from eight published brain studies were compared to blood eQTL identified in from a meta-analysis involving 5,311 individuals. We accounted for differences in SNP platforms and study design by using SNP proxies in high linkage disequilibrium with reported eQTL. The degree of overlap between studies was calculated by ascertaining if an eQTL identified in one study was also identified in the other study.

Results

The percentage of eQTL overlapping for brain and blood expression after adjusting for differences in sample size ranged from 13 - 23% (mean 19.2%). Amongst pairs of brain studies eQTL overlap ranged from 0 - 35%, with higher degrees of overlap found for studies using expression data collected from the same brain region.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that whenever possible tissue specific to the pathophysiology of the disease being studied should be used for transcription analysis.

SUBMITTER: McKenzie M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4066287 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Overlap of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) in human brain and blood.

McKenzie Marna M Henders Anjali K AK Caracella Anthony A Wray Naomi R NR Powell Joseph E JE

BMC medical genomics 20140603

<h4>Background</h4>Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) are genomic regions regulating RNA transcript expression levels. Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS) have identified many variants, often in non-coding regions, with unknown functions and eQTL provide a possible mechanism by which these variants may influence observable phenotypes. Limited access and availability of tissues such as brain has led to the use of blood as a substitute for eQTL analyses.<h4>Methods</h4>Here, we evaluate ...[more]

PMID: 24894490

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Project description:BackgroundExpression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) have been identified using tissue or cell samples from diverse human populations, thus enhancing our understanding of regulation of gene expression. However, few studies have attempted to identify eQTL in racially admixed populations such as Hispanics.MethodsWe performed a systematic eQTL study to identify regulatory variants of gene expression in whole blood from 121 Puerto Rican children with (n = 63) and without (n = 58) asthma. Genome-wide genotyping was conducted using the Illumina Omni2.5M Bead Chip, and gene expression was assessed using the Illumina HT-12 microarray. After completing quality control, we performed a pair-wise genome analysis of ~15 K transcripts and ~1.3 M SNPs for both local and distal effects. This analysis was conducted under a regression framework adjusting for age, gender and principal components derived from both genotypic and mRNA data. We used a false discovery rate (FDR) approach to identify significant eQTL signals, which were next compared to top eQTL signals from existing eQTL databases. We then performed a pathway analysis for our top genes.ResultsWe identified 36,720 local pairs in 3,391 unique genes and 1,851 distal pairs in 446 unique genes at FDR <0.05, corresponding to unadjusted P values lower than 1.5x10-4 and 4.5x10-9, respectively. A significant proportion of genes identified in our study overlapped with those identified in previous studies. We also found an enrichment of disease-related genes in our eQTL list.ConclusionsWe present results from the first eQTL study in Puerto Rican children, who are members of a unique Hispanic cohort disproportionately affected with asthma, prematurity, obesity and other common diseases. Our study confirmed eQTL signals identified in other ethnic groups, while also detecting additional eQTLs unique to our study population. The identified eQTLs will help prioritize findings from future genome-wide association studies in Puerto Ricans.

Dataset Information

Overlap of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) in human brain and blood.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Overlap of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) in human brain and blood.

Similar Datasets

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