Genetics, Vol 139, 1421-1428, Copyright © 1995

INVESTIGATIONS

A Nonparametric Approach for Mapping Quantitative Trait Loci

L. Kruglyak and E. S. Lander
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142

Genetic mapping of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) is performed typically by using a parametric approach, based on the assumption that the phenotype follows a normal distribution. Many traits of interest, however, are not normally distributed. In this paper, we present a nonparametric approach to QTL mapping applicable to any phenotypic distribution. The method is based on a statistic Z(w), which generalizes the nonparametric Wilcoxon rank-sum test to the situation of whole-genome search by interval mapping. We determine the appropriate significance level for the statistic Z(w), by showing that its asymptotic null distribution follows an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. These results provide a robust, distribution-free method for mapping QTLs.


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