Influence of climatic parameters on the probabilistic design of green roofs.

Green roofs are effective tools for stormwater control in highly urbanized areas since they allow the reduction of peak runoffs and volumes discharged in sewer systems. Their design is quite standardized, except for the thickness of the growing medium layer, which is strictly related to vegetation type and rainfall regime. The paper proposes an analytical probabilistic approach that relates the climatic variables, the growing medium thickness, and the water content in the condition of fulfilled field capacity to the probability that runoff from green roofs exceeds a fixed threshold. The developed equations also consider the possibility of a reduced retention capacity due to previous rainfall events, that strongly influence the performance of these green infrastructures, especially when short dry periods and/or low evapotranspiration rates occur. This feature, neglected by the traditional design storm approach, and only partially considered by previous analytical probabilistic models, represent a great potentiality of the proposed equations that are also more user-friendly and less time-consuming than continuous simulation analysis. The focus of the paper is on the influence of climatic parameters on runoff probability. To this aim to perform the monthly analysis is fundamental, especially when there is a strong variability of the climatic parameters throughout the year. The model was tested in a case study in Milano, Italy. The application presented a good agreement between the results obtained from the proposed equations and those obtained from the continuous simulation of recorded data. The results also highlighted the importance of performing analysis on a monthly scale.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 may exploit human transcription factors involved in retinoic acid and interferon-mediated response: a hypothesis supported by an in silico analysis.

The pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), resulting in acute respiratory disease, is a worldwide emergency. Because recently it has been found that SARS-CoV is dependent on host transcription factors (TF) to express the viral genes, efforts are required to understand the molecular interplay between virus and host response. By bioinformatic analysis, we investigated human TF that can bind the SARS-CoV-2 sequence and can be involved in viral transcription. In particular, we analysed the key role of TF involved in interferon (IFN) response. We found that several TF could be induced by the IFN antiviral response, specifically some induced by IFN-stimulated gene factor 3 (ISGF3) and by unphosphorylated ISGF3, which were found to promote the transcription of several viral open reading frame. Moreover, we found 22 TF binding sites present only in the sequence of virus infecting humans but not bat coronavirus RaTG13. The 22 TF are involved in IFN, retinoic acid signalling and regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II, thus facilitating its own replication cycle. This mechanism, by competition, may steal the human TF involved in these processes, explaining SARS-CoV-2's disruption of IFN-I signalling in host cells and the mechanism of the SARS retinoic acid depletion syndrome leading to the cytokine storm. We identified three TF binding sites present exclusively in the Brazilian SARS-CoV-2 P.1 variant that may explain the higher severity of the respiratory syndrome. These data shed light on SARS-CoV-2 dependence from the host transcription machinery associated with IFN response and strengthen our knowledge of the virus's transcription and replicative activity, thus paving the way for new targets for drug design and therapeutic approaches.

Absence of association of asporin polymorphisms and osteoarthritis susceptibility in US Caucasians.

OBJECTIVE: An association between osteoarthritis (OA) and functional polymorphisms in the aspartic acid (d) repeat of the asporin (ASPN) gene was reported in Japanese and Han Chinese populations. The aim of this study was to assess the association of variants in the ASPN gene with the presence of radiographic hand and/or knee OA in a US Caucasian population. METHODS: Ten single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the ASPN gene were genotyped in 775 affected siblings with radiographically confirmed hand and/or knee OA, and the allelic, genotypic and haplotypic association results were examined. RESULTS: One variant (SNP RS7033979) showed nominal evidence of association with both hand OA (P=0.042) and knee OA (P=0.032). Four additional SNPs showed nominal evidence of association with knee OA only. These associations were only observed with genotypic tests; the corresponding allelic and haplotype tests did not corroborate the single-point association results. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that polymorphisms within ASPN are not a major influence in susceptibility to hand or knee OA in US Caucasians.

A genome-screen of a large twin cohort reveals linkage for quantitative ultrasound of the calcaneus to 2q33-37 and 4q12-21.

UNLABELLED: A genome-wide screen was performed on a large cohort of dizygous twin pairs to identify regions of the genome that contain QTL for QUS of bone. Suggestive linkage of QUS parameters to 2q33-37 and 4q12-21 highlighted these regions as potentially important for studies of genes that regulate bone. INTRODUCTION: The genetics of osteoporotic fracture is only partly explained by bone mineral density (BMD). Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) of the calcaneus can also be used for independent clinical assessment of osteoporotic fracture risk. Two specific indices are derived from this assessment: broadband ultrasound attenuation (BUA) and velocity of sound (VOS). Both parameters provide information on fracture risk; however, BUA has been studied more extensively and may be favored because it is thought to have a stronger predictive value for osteoporotic fracture and incorporates aspects of trabecular structure and bone quality as well as BMD. Studies of QUS in twins have shown that both derived parameters are under substantial genetic control, independent of BMD. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To identify regions of the genome that contain quantitative trait loci (QTL) for QUS of bone, we performed a genome-wide screen on a large cohort of dizygous twin pairs. Unselected female dizygous twins from 1067 pedigrees from the St Thomas' UK Adult Twin Registry were genome scanned (737 highly polymorphic microsatellite markers). Multipoint linkage analyses provided maximum evidence of linkage for BUA (LOD 2.1-5.1) to 2q33-37. Linkage for VOS (LOD 2.2-3.4) was maximal at 4q12-21. Potential evidence of linkage in the cohort indicated five other possible locations of QTL (LOD > 2.0) relevant to bone density or structure on chromosomes 1, 2, 13, 14, and X. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: This study has identified eight genomic locations with linkage of LOD > 2.0. This data should be of value in assisting researchers to localize genes that regulate bone mass and microstructure. These results should complement genome screens of BMD and bone structure and serve to enable further targeted positional candidate and positional cloning studies to advance our understanding of genetic control of bone quality and risk of fracture.

Novel association suggests multiple independent QTLs within chromosome 5q21-33 region control variation in total humans IgE levels.

Asthma is a common, heterogeneous, complex disease accompanied by raised total and specific immunoglobulin-E (IgE) antibody levels. Despite numerous previous reports of linkage and association of asthma, atopy and serum IgE levels to genes within the 5q21-33 region, definitive, replicable results are still not available. We used the classical twin design to (i) estimate the relative contributions of genes and environment to variation in total IgE levels, (ii) assess genetic linkage, and (iii) examine allelic association of 11 microsatellite markers spanning the 5q21-33 region to total IgE. Variation in total IgE level was shown to be highly heritable (65%). Although evidence for linkage of the 11 microsatellites to IgE was not observed, the omnibus test of association, not confounded by population substructure, showed positive association of D5S393 and D5S673 to IgE. Genes in the vicinity of D5S673 include hepatitis A virus receptor (HAVCR-1) and IL-12B. Recently, the mouse orthologue of HAVCR-1, the T-cell membrane family of proteins, have been shown to be in strong association with expression of airway hyperactivity in a mouse model of human asthma and atopy. IL-12B subserves many proinflammatory functions and also induces B cells proliferation.

Comparison of genome screens for two independent cohorts provides replication of suggestive linkage of bone mineral density to 3p21 and 1p36.

Low bone mineral density (BMD) is a major risk factor for osteoporotic fracture. Studies of BMD in families and twins have shown that this trait is under strong genetic control. To identify regions of the genome that contain quantitative trait loci (QTL) for BMD, we performed independent genomewide screens, using two complementary study designs. We analyzed unselected nonidentical twin pairs (1,094 pedigrees) and highly selected, extremely discordant or concordant (EDAC) sib pairs (254 pedigrees). Nonparametric multipoint linkage (NPL) analyses were undertaken for lumbar spine and total-hip BMD in both cohorts and for whole-body BMD in the unselected twin pairs. The maximum evidence of linkage in the unselected twins (spine BMD, LOD 2.7) and the EDAC pedigrees (spine BMD, LOD 2.1) was observed at chromosome 3p21 (76 cM and 69 cM, respectively). These combined data indicate the presence, in this region, of a gene that regulates BMD. Furthermore, evidence of linkage in the twin cohort (whole-body BMD; LOD 2.4) at chromosome 1p36 (17 cM) supports previous findings of suggestive linkage to BMD in the region. Weaker evidence of linkage (LOD 1.0-2.3) in either cohort, but not both, indicates the locality of additional QTLs. These studies validate the use, in linkage analysis, of large cohorts of unselected twins phenotyped for multiple traits, and they highlight the importance of conducting genome scans in replicate populations as a prelude to positional cloning and gene discovery.

Evidence of association and linkage disequilibrium between a novel polymorphism in the transforming growth factor beta 1 gene and hip bone mineral density: a study of female twins.

OBJECTIVE: Bone mineral density (BMD) in later life is a major determinant of osteoporotic fracture risk and has been shown to be under strong genetic influence. Transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) is an important regulatory cytokine, is found in high concentrations in the bone matrix, and is a plausible candidate for the genetic regulation of BMD. METHODS: This study investigated whether a novel polymorphism within the TGF-beta 1 gene is associated with BMD in a large normal female population of 1706 dizygotic (DZ) twins (age range 18-76 yr). RESULTS: A C--->T [corrected] polymorphism was identified in intron 5, the T [corrected] allele having a frequency of 0.25. Subjects homozygous for the presence of the TGF-beta 1 T [corrected] allele had a 4% reduction in femoral neck BMD compared with the other two genotype groups (P<0.025). No effect was seen at the lumbar spine or ultradistal radius, or with calcaneal ultrasound measurements. Results were unaffected after adjustment for potential confounders. These findings were predominantly seen in pre-menopausal subjects, suggesting that this locus has an effect on the attainment of peak BMD. In pre-menopausal women, subjects who were homozygous for the T [corrected] allele had a 5-fold excess risk of having osteoporosis at the femoral neck compared with the other genotype groups. A within-pair analysis using the sibling transmission disequilibrium test confirmed these findings in pre-menopausal women and supported the candidacy of the TGF-beta 1 locus in the genetic regulation of hip BMD. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that allelic variation at the TGF-beta 1 gene contributes to the development of osteoporosis at the hip. The study also highlights the power of candidate gene analysis in twins, in whom loci having modest effects on disease risk can be identified.

The role of serum TGF-beta isoforms as potential markers of osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis is a major public health problem characterized by low bone mineral density (BMD) that presently has no biochemical test useful for its diagnosis. The cytokine TGF-beta has been postulated to play a role in controlling bone density by regulating the fine balance between bone matrix deposition by osteoblasts and its resorption by osteoclasts. We explored whether measurement of serum levels of different TGF-beta isoforms could be useful as a clinical tool in osteoporosis. We measured the concentration of TGF-beta1 antigen using the BDA19 capture sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), TGF-beta2 antigen concentration using a Quantikine sandwich ELISA kit and TGF-beta3 antigen concentration using a modified version of the TGF-beta1 Quantikine sandwich ELISA kit. Subjects were 41 women with osteoporosis (with nontraumatic vertebral fracture or lumbar spine BMD Z-score <-1.5 SD) and a total of 199 control women from different sources. Serum concentrations of TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta2 were similar in all groups. However, detectable levels of TGF-beta3 (>0.2 ng/ml) were found in 35 of 41 patients with osteoporosis (median 7.2 (5.2-8.9) ng/ml) compared with 11 of 36 controls or 24 of 89 healthy women of unknown bone density. Differences among the groups could not be accounted for by age, weight, medications, use of hormone replacement therapy or the presence of osteoarthritis. Using the optimal cut-off of >/=2 ng/ml, the test was able to detect an individual with low spine BMD (Z-score <-1.5) with a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 53%, with similar results for the femoral neck. The odds ratio for osteoporosis associated with a positive test at this level was 5.93 (95% CI 2.41-11.59), and 4.1 (95% CI 1.66-10.11) using the WHO cut-off of T-score <-2.5. Serum TGF-beta3 concentration is raised in osteoporotic women and the test appears to have potential as a marker for osteoporosis. The underlying mechanisms and the relationships between TGF-beta3 and bone turnover and fractures remain to be explored.

Genetic and environmental influences on total-body and central abdominal fat: the effect of physical activity in female twins.

BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of obesity has focused attention on the contribution of physical activity and its interaction with predisposing genetic factors. OBJECTIVE: To examine 1) the relation between physical activity and total-body and central abdominal fat, independent of genetic and other environmental factors, and 2) the influence of physical activity in persons who are genetically susceptible to generalized or central adiposity. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: A London academic teaching hospital. PATIENTS: 970 healthy female twins (mean age, 55.5 years [range, 39 to 70 years]; body mass index, 24.4 kg/m2 [range, 16.4 to 44.0 kg/mg2]). There were 241 monozygotic pairs, 228 dizygotic pairs, and 32 women whose co-twin lacked complete data. Fifty-six percent of participants were of normal weight, 30% were overweight, 7% were obese, and 7% were underweight. MEASUREMENTS: Total-body and central abdominal fat were measured by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry. Physical activity was assessed by quantitative and semiquantitative questionnaires. Data on dietary intake, socioeconomic status, smoking status, and use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) were also gathered. RESULTS: Total-body and abdominal central adiposity were lower with higher levels of home, sporting, and sweating-associated activity. Total-body and central abdominal fat were 5.6 kg and 0.44 kg lower, respectively, in participants who reported vigorous weight-bearing activity. Physical activity was the strongest independent predictor of total-body fat (beta = -0.6 [CI, -1.06 to -0.15]; P = 0.009) and central abdominal fat (beta = -0.07 [CI, -0.1 to -0.03]; P < 0.001) in a regression model that included age, diet, smoking, HRT use, and socioeconomic status. Monozygotic twin pairs who were concordant for smoking and HRT status but were discordant for moderate-intensity sport showed greater within-pair differences in total-body fat than those who were concordant for activity level. In this model, 1 and 2 hours of moderate-intensity sport accounted for within-pair differences of 1.0 kg (P = 0.050) and 1.4 kg (P = 0.040), respectively, of total-body fat. In participants who had an overweight twin, higher levels of physical activity were still associated with 3.96-kg lower total-body fat and 0.53-kg lower central abdominal fat. CONCLUSIONS: Current physical activity predicts lower total-body and central abdominal adiposity in healthy middle-aged women. After controlling for genetic and environmental factors, the influence of physical activity was greater than that of other measured environmental factors. Participants with a genetic predisposition to adiposity did not show a lesser effect of physical activity on body fat mass.

Genetic control of the circulating concentration of transforming growth factor type beta1.

The concentration of transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) in plasma has been correlated with the development of several diseases, including atherosclerosis and certain forms of cancer. However, the mechanisms that control the concentration of TGF-beta in plasma are poorly understood. In a study of 170 pairs of female twins (average age 57.7 years) we show that the concentration of active plus acid-activatable latent TGF-beta1 [(a+l) TGF-beta therefore is predominantly under genetic control (heritability estimate 0.54). Single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) mapping of the TGF-beta1 gene promoter has identified two single base substitution polymorphisms. The two polymorphisms (G-->A at position -800 bp and C-->T at position -509 bp) are in linkage disequilibrium (correlation coefficient Delta = 0.215, P < 0.01). The C-509T polymorphism is significantly associated with the plasma concentration of (a+l) TGF-beta1, explaining 8.2% of the additive genetic variance of (a+l) TGF-beta1 concentration. It is therefore possible that predisposition to atherosclerosis, bone diseases or various forms of cancer may be correlated with the presence of particular alleles at the TGFB1 locus.

Genes versus environment. The relationship between dietary fat and total and central abdominal fat.

OBJECTIVE: The influence of diet on body fat has not been quantified independently of genetic influences, although both are held to contribute to regulation of body fat stores. This study examined 1) the relationship between recent diet and total body and central abdominal fat in middle-aged female twins independent of genetic and important environmental factors and 2) evidence of interaction between diet and genetic predisposition. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Measurements in 436 healthy female twins (aged 58 +/- 10 years) included dietary intake by food frequency questionnaire (validated against a 7-day food diary, n = 162), BMI, total body and central abdominal fat by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and environmental covariates (smoking habit, hormone replacement, and physical activity) by standardized questionnaire. Dietary energy underreporters were excluded. RESULTS: Intake of dietary fat (total and subtype) and carbohydrates was not related to BMI or to total or central fat, confirmed in quintile analysis. With genetic and environmental factors controlled in 90 monozygotic pairs, differences in the intake of energy, fat, or protein were not related to intrapair differences in total and central body fat. However, a minor inverse relationship between carbohydrate intake and total adiposity was confirmed (r = -0.25, P = 0.02). In paired analyses, the twin with the higher intake of total sugars had significantly lower total body and central abdominal adiposity. There was no evidence of a gene-environment interaction between intake of fat or carbohydrates contributing to greater body fat mass in subjects genetically predisposed to obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Using validated dietary measures and direct measures of body fat and excluding underreporters, no relationship between dietary fat and body fat was found in middle-aged women, particularly after controlling for genetic and some environmental factors. The role of dietary factors in determining total body and central abdominal fat appears to have been overestimated in past cross-sectional studies.

Fine genetic mapping using haplotype analysis and the missing data problem.

The genetic basis of many human diseases, especially those with substantial genetic determinants, has been identified. Notable amongst others are cystic fibrosis, Huntington's disease and some forms of cancer. However, the detection of genetic factors with more modest effects such as in bipolar disorders and a majority of the cancers, has been more complicated. Standard linkage analysis procedures may not only have little power to detect such genes but they do, at best, only narrow the location of the disease susceptibility gene to a rather large region. Association studies are therefore necessary to further unveil the aetiological relevance of these factors to disease. However, the number of tests required if such procedures were used in extended genome-wide screens, is prohibitive and as such association studies have seen limited application, except in the investigation of candidate genes. In this paper, we discuss a logistic regression approach as a generalization of this procedure so that it can accommodate clusters of linked markers or candidate genes. Furthermore, we introduce an expectation maximization (E-M) algorithm with which to estimate haplotype frequencies for multiple locus systems with incomplete information on phase.

Genotypic relative risks under ordered restriction.

In mapping diseases of complex aetiology, conventional linkage approaches narrow the location of the disease susceptibility locus to quite a large region so that candidate gene association studies are then necessary to further isolate these genes. However, even in the simplest scenario where the candidate locus is bi-allelic, two statistical tests with various correcting factors have been proposed: a chi-square 1 df test (counting chromosomes) which may be slightly conservative and a 2 df chi-square test (counting genotypes) which may lack power because of the extra degree of freedom. This paper introduces a better and more powerful alternative which turns out to be a compromise between the two existing statistical tests. The asymptotic distribution of this test statistic is determined and the efficacy of the 3 tests are compared under different genetic models by simulation.

Tobacco smoking and oestrogen replacement are associated with lower total and central fat in monozygotic twins.

BACKGROUND: The known postmenopausal increase in cardiovascular risk may relate in part to changes in fat distribution. Environmental factors which are known to influence cardiovascular disease risk may do so in part by influencing body fat and its distribution. OBJECTIVES: To determine the relationships between tobacco smoking, oestrogen replacement (ERT) and body fat and its distribution in postmenopausal women, independent of genetic factors, physical activity, diet composition and socioeconomic factors. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study in normal post menopausal twins. SUBJECTS: 712 postmenopausal female twins (aged 58.7 +/- 0.2 y, body mass index (BMI) 24.4 +/- 0.1 kg/m2). MEASUREMENTS: Anthropometry; body composition and fat distribution by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry; physical activity, muscle strength, socioeconomic status, dietary composition and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS). RESULTS: In monozygotic pairs discordant for smoking, intrapair differences in total and central fat were greater than that in concordant pairs, with the lower fat mass in the smoking twin. Overall, smokers had a lower weight, BMI, total and central abdominal fat, despite a higher total and saturated dietary fat intake and similar DHEAS levels. The reduction in central fat was not independent of that in total fat. In monozygotic twins discordant for ERT-use the intrapair differences in total and central body fat were significantly greater than in concordant pairs, with the lower fat measure in the ERT-using twin. Overall, current ERT-users had similar body weight, BMI and total fat compared to non-users but had lower central fat. There were no differences in activity levels, diet or socioeconomic factors between ERT-users and non-users. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking and ERT-use are associated with lower total and central fat in monozygotic postmenopausal twins. In current smokers, the lower central adiposity appears related to its influence on total body fat. In ERT-users, lower central fat may contribute to the reduced cardiovascular risk associated with postmenopausal oestrogen use.

Homozygotes and heterozygotes for ciliary neurotrophic factor null alleles do not show earlier onset of Huntington's disease.

The CAG repeat number on Huntington's disease (HD) chromosomes accounts for about 60% of the variance in the age at onset of HD. However, distinct familial factors may also influence the age at onset. HD is associated with loss of medium-sized GABA-ergic striatal output neurons. Intracerebral administration of human ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) protects striatal output neurons in excitotoxic rodent and primate models of HD induced by intrastriatal quinolinic acid injection. We have examined the effect of a common null mutation in the human CNTF gene on the age of onset of HD using a multiple regression approach that takes into account the CAG repeat number on HD chromosomes. We failed to detect an earlier onset of HD in nine homozygotes and 71 heterozygotes with this CNTF mutation compared with 203 homozygotes with wild-type alleles.

Genotypes at the GluR6 kainate receptor locus are associated with variation in the age of onset of Huntington disease.

Huntington disease (HD) is associated with abnormal expansions of a CAG repeat close to the 5' end of the IT15 gene. We have assembled a set of 293 HD subjects whose ages of onset were known and sized their HD CAG repeats. These repeats accounted for 69% of the variance of age of onset when we used the most parsimonious model, which relates the logarithm of age of onset to a function of CAG repeat number. Since other familial factors have been proposed to influence the age of onset of HD, we have examined a number of candidate loci. The CAG repeat number on normal chromosomes, the delta2642 polymorphism in the HD gene, and apolipoprotein E genotypes did not affect the age of onset of HD. Although mitochondrial energy production defects in HD have led to suggestions that variants in the mitochondrial genome may be associated with clinical variability in HD, this suggestion was not supported by our preliminary experiments that examined the DdeI mitochondrial restriction fragment length polymorphism at position 10,394. Excitotoxicity has been a favored mechanism to explain the cell death in HD, particularly since intrastriatal injection of excitatory amino acids in animals creates HD-like pathology. Accordingly, we investigated the GluR6 kainate receptor. Of the variance in the age of onset of HD that was not accounted for by the CAG repeats, 13% could be attributed to GluR6 genotype variation. These data implicate GluR6-mediated excitotoxicity in the pathogenesis of HD and highlight the potential importance of this process in other polyglutamine repeat expansion diseases.

Common BRCA1 variants and susceptibility to breast and ovarian cancer in the general population.

Most multiple case families of young onset breast cancer and ovarian cancer are thought to be due to highly penetrant mutations in the predisposing genes BRCA1 and BRCA2. However, these mutations are uncommon in the population and they probably account for only a few percent of all breast cancer incidence. A much larger fraction of breast cancer might, in principle, be due to common variants which confer more modest individual risks. There are several common polymorphisms in the BRCA1 gene which generate amino acid substitutions. We have examined the frequency of four of these polymorphisms: Gln356Arg, Pro871Leu, Glu1038Gly and Ser1613Gly in large series of breast and ovarian cancer cases and matched controls. Due to strong linkage disequilibrium, these four sites generate only three haplotypes with a frequency > 1.3%. The most common haplotypes, defined by the alleles Gln356Pro871Glu1038Ser1613 and Gln356Leu871Gly1038Gly1613, have frequencies of 0.57 and 0.32 respectively, and these frequencies do not differ significantly between patient and control groups. Thus the most common polymorphisms of the BRCA1 gene do not make a significant contribution to breast or ovarian cancer risk. However, our data suggest that the Arg356 allele may have a different genotype distribution in breast cancer patients from that in controls (Arg356 homozygotes are more frequent in the control groups, P = 0.01), indicating that it may be protective against breast cancer. If this finding can be confirmed, it may provide an insight into the structural features of the BRCA1 protein that are important for its function.

Germline mutations of the BRCA1 gene in breast and ovarian cancer families provide evidence for a genotype-phenotype correlation.

Mutations in the BRCA1 gene, discovered in 1994, are associated with an 80-90% lifetime risk of breast cancer. We have analysed 60 families with a history of breast and/or ovarian cancer for germline mutations in BRCA1. Twenty-two different mutations were detected in 32 families (53%), of which 14 are previously unreported. We observed a significant correlation between the location of the mutation in the gene and the ratio of breast to ovarian cancer incidence within each family. Our data suggest a transition in risk such that mutations in the 3' third of the gene are associated with a lower proportion of ovarian cancer. Haplotype analysis supports previous data which suggest some BRCA1 mutation carriers have common ancestors; however, we have found at least two examples where recurrent mutations appear to have arisen independently.

Linkage detection under heterogeneity and the mixture problem.

Linkage analysis has contributed to the localization of many human disease genes. The presence of locus heterogeneity reduces statistical power and can prejudice the detection of linkage if the analysis assumes homogeneity. Nevertheless, mixed genetic models are not routinely used in gene searches. The null distribution of the test statistic is not uniquely defined. In this paper, a transformation is used to determine an approximate asymptotic distribution of the test statistic under a mixture model. The equivalent critical values of the test are computed and the performance of the test under various levels of heterogeneity and family size is investigated. For gene searches, we recommend the routine use of an admixture model with a critical lod score of 3.44.