A Nonparametric Approach for Mapping Quantitative Trait Loci |
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| Authors: | L. Kruglyak and E. S. Lander |
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| Affiliation: | Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142 |
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| Abstract: | ![]()
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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