Open AccessGWAS and Beyond: Using Omics Approaches to Interpret SNP Associations
Author(s) -
HungHsin Chen,
Lauren E. Petty,
William S. Bush,
Adam C. Naj,
Jennifer E. Below
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
current genetic medicine reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2167-4876
DOI - 10.1007/s40142-019-0159-z
Subject(s) - genome wide association study , phenome , biology , genetic architecture , genetic association , computational biology , phenotype , disease , metabolomics , proteomics , genetics , bioinformatics , gene , single nucleotide polymorphism , medicine , genotype , pathology
Neurodegenerative diseases, neuropsychiatric disorders, and related traits have highly complex etiologies but are also highly heritable and identifying the causal genes and biological pathways underlying these traits may advance the development of treatments and preventive strategies. While many genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have successfully identified variants contributing to polygenic neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric phenotypes including Alzheimer's disease (AD), schizophrenia (SCZ), and bipolar disorder (BPD) amongst others, interpreting the biological roles of significantly-associated variants in the genetic architecture of these traits remains a significant challenge. Here we review several 'omics' approaches which attempt to bridge the gap from associated genetic variants to phenotype by helping define the functional roles of GWAS loci in the development of neuropsychiatric disorders and traits.