MQScore_SNP software for multipoint parametric linkage analysis of quantitative traits in large pedigrees

The endocrine stress response is linked to one specific locus on chromosome 3 in a mouse model based on extremes in trait anxiety

Background

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is essential to control physiological stress responses in mammals. Its dysfunction is related to several mental disorders, including anxiety and depression. The aim of this study was to identify genetic loci underlying the endocrine regulation of the HPA axis.

Method

High (HAB) and low (LAB) anxiety-related behaviour mice were established by selective inbreeding of outbred CD-1 mice to model extremes in trait anxiety. Additionally, HAB vs. LAB mice exhibit comorbid characteristics including a differential corticosterone response upon stress exposure. We crossbred HAB and LAB lines to create F1 and F2 offspring. To identify the contribution of the endocrine phenotypes to the total phenotypic variance, we examined multiple behavioural paradigms together with corticosterone secretion-based phenotypes in F2 mice by principal component analysis. Further, to pinpoint the genomic loci of the quantitative trait of the HPA axis stress response, we conducted genome-wide multipoint oligogenic linkage analyses based on Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo approach as well as parametric linkage in three-generation pedigrees, followed by a two-dimensional scan for epistasis and association analysis in freely segregating F2 mice using 267 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which were identified to consistently differ between HAB and LAB mice as genetic markers.

Results

HPA axis reactivity measurements and behavioural phenotypes were represented by independent principal components and demonstrated no correlation. Based on this finding, we identified one single quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 3 showing a very strong evidence for linkage (2ln (L-score) > 10, LOD > 23) and significant association (lowest Bonferroni adjusted p < 10^-28) to the neuroendocrine stress response. The location of the linkage peak was estimated at 42.3 cM (95% confidence interval: 41.3 - 43.3 cM) and was shown to be in epistasis (p-adjusted < 0.004) with the locus at 35.3 cM on the same chromosome. The QTL harbours genes involved in steroid synthesis and cardiovascular effects.

Conclusion

The very prominent effect on stress-induced corticosterone secretion of the genomic locus on chromosome 3 and its involvement in epistasis highlights the critical role of this specific locus in the regulation of the HPA axis.

GADS software for parametric linkage analysis of quantitative traits distributed as a point-mass mixture

Often the quantitative data coming from proteomics and metabolomics studies have irregular distribution with a spike. None of the wide used methods for human QTL mapping are applicable to such traits. Researchers have to reduce the sample, excluding the spike, and analyze only continuous measurements. In this study, we propose a method for the parametric linkage analysis of traits with a spike in the distribution, and a software GADS, which implements this method. Our software includes not only the programs for parametric linkage analysis, but also the program for complex segregation analysis, which allows the estimation of the model parameters used in linkage. We tested our method on the real data about vertical cup-to-disc ratio, the important characteristic of the optic disc associated with glaucoma, in a large pedigree from a Dutch isolated population. Significant linkage signal was identified on chromosome 6 with the help of GADS, whereas the analysis of the normal distributed part of the sample demonstrated only a suggestive linkage peak on this chromosome. The software GADS is freely available at http://mga.bionet.nsc.ru/soft/index.html.