Open problems in human trait genetics
Nadav Brandes, Omer Weissbrod, Michal Linial
Abstract
Genetic studies of human traits have revolutionized our understanding of the variation between individuals, and yet, the genetics of most traits is still poorly understood. In this review, we highlight the major open problems that need to be solved, and by discussing these challenges provide a primer to the field. We cover general issues such as population structure, epistasis and gene-environment interactions, data-related issues such as ancestry diversity and rare genetic variants, and specific challenges related to heritability estimates, genetic association studies, and polygenic risk scores. We emphasize the interconnectedness of these problems and suggest promising avenues to address them.
Topics & Concepts
BiologyHuman geneticsEpistasisTraitHeritabilityHuman genetic variationEvolutionary biologyMissing heritability problemGeneticsPopulation geneticsGenetic associationGenetic variationStatistical geneticsPopulationComputational biologyGenomicsGenetic variantsGenotypeGeneHuman genomeDemographySingle-nucleotide polymorphismGenomeComputer scienceSociologyProgramming languageGenetic Associations and EpidemiologyGenetic and phenotypic traits in livestockGenetic Mapping and Diversity in Plants and Animals