MF1 outbred stock liver gene expression data

Linkage analysis of complex traits in mice is a powerful tool to find loci affecting the phenotype but it has a poor resolution making it difficult to identify the underlying genes. We show here, using whole genome association analysis of gene expression traits in an outbred mouse population, the MF1 stock, that mapping resolution is greatly increased as compared to linkage. The fact that eQTLs discovered in other crosses were replicated and successfully mapped with high resolution in this population provides a strong proof of concept. In addition, we show that this population is a useful resource to resolve the eQTL hotspots detected in other studies. Finally, we highlight the importance of correcting for population structure in whole genome association studies in the outbred stock.

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Ghazalpour A, Doss S, Kang H, Farber C, Wen PZ, Brozell A, Castellanos R, Eskin E, Smith DJ, Drake TA, Lusis AJ