Analysis of the genetic basis of height in large Jewish nuclear families

• Published in: PLoS genetics Vol. 15; no. 7; p. e1008082
• Main Authors: Zeevi, Danny, Bloom, Joshua S, Sadhu, Meru J, Ben Yehuda, Adi, Zangen, David, Levy-Lahad, Ephrat, Kruglyak, Leonid
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 08-07-2019; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; Biology and Life Sciences; Body height; Body Height - genetics; Chromosome Mapping - methods; Cohort Studies; Family; Female; Gene Frequency; Genetic analysis; Genetic aspects; Genetic factors; Genetic Linkage; Genetics; Genomes; Humans; Insects; Jewish people; Jews; Jews - genetics; Longitudinal studies; Male; Middle Aged; Nuclear family; Pedigree; People and Places; Physical Sciences; Physiological aspects; Population; Quantitative Trait Loci; Siblings; Young Adult; United States; Los Angeles California; Israel; California; Jerusalem Israel; United States > US
• ISSN: 1553-7404; 1553-7390; 1553-7404
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1008082

Despite intensive study, most of the specific genetic factors that contribute to variation in human height remain undiscovered. We conducted a family-based linkage study of height in a unique cohort of very large nuclear families from a founder (Jewish) population. This design allowed for increased power to detect linkage, compared to previous family-based studies. Loci we identified in discovery families could explain an estimated lower bound of 6% of the variance in height in validation families. We showed that these loci are not tagging known common variants associated with height. Rather, we suggest that the observed signals arise from variants with large effects that are rare globally but elevated in frequency in the Jewish population.