Isolated populations and complex disease gene identification

Gene finding in genetically isolated populations.

The struggle to identify susceptibility genes for complex disorders has stimulated geneticists to develop new approaches. One approach that has gained considerable interest is to focus on genetically isolated populations rather than on the general population. There remains much controversy and theoretical debate over the feasibility and advantages of such populations, but recent results speak i...

Molecular identification and phylogenic analysis of Bartonella henselae isolated from Iranian cats based on gltA gene

One of the most important species of the Bartonella genus is B. henselae that causes a zoonotic infection, cat scratch disease (CSD). The main source of the bacteria is cat and the carrier is Ctenocephalides felis flea. One hundred and forty nail and saliva samples were collected from 70 domestic cats. Positive samples for B. henselae were characterized by po...

Value of homogenous populations for gene identification in complex rheumatic diseases.

Disease gene mapping in isolated human populations: the example of Finland.

The recent surge of interest in isolated human populations can be attributed largely to the advances in molecular genetics that now appear to produce an endless array of new data. However, the organised study of inherited traits and disorders in isolated populations started several decades ago. For example, at the beginning of the second half of this century several enthusiastic investigators a...

Gene mapping in isolated populations: new roles for old friends?

Population isolates are increasingly being used in attempts to map genes underlying complex diseases. To further explore the utility of isolates for this purpose, we explore linkage disequilibrium patterns in polymorphisms from two regions (VWF and NF1) in three isolated populations from Finland. At the NF1 locus, the Finnish populations have greater pairwise disequilibrium than populations fro...