Genome-wide association interaction analysis for complex diseases: an example on Alzheimer’s disease.

Objectives: Common genetic mutations that can be detected via a genome-wide association (GWA) study and at the same time have a strong contribution to disease risk are fairly limited. Some of the genetic variants in humans are either rare, thus more difficult to be identified, or they are common, but exert relatively small or even no individual effects that are masked or enhanced by one or several genes. The discovery of interacting genetic variants, possibly explaining part of the hidden genetic heritability, requires the development of sophisticated strategies and bioinformatics tools.
Methods: In the present study, we propose a minimal protocol for genome-wide association interaction (GWAI) analysis that involves screening over large-scale genomic data in the search for epistatic or synergetic effects. The different steps of this minimal protocol are illustrated on a real-life data application for Alzheimer disease (AlzD) (large human cohort of 2,259 cases and 6,017 controls from France) and the pros and cons of the approaches are discussed.
Results: Using the protocol, we identified two pairs of AlzD-associated interacting SNPs: from chromosome 6q11.1 and 13q12.11 and male-specific epistasis between SNPs from chromosome 5q34 and 15q22.2.
Conclusion: In the present work we developed and applied an epistasis detection protocol to perform a comprehensive genome-wide search for AlzD-associated epistatic effects, hereby combining the strengths of different strategies, methods and statistical tools. It is the first time an epistasis study of this magnitude has been conducted in the context of AlzD. We show the advantages of viewing and analyzing data from different angles. A replication analysis strategy adapted to the epistasis detection context, as well as a meta-analytic approach confirmed effects of the discovered interactions. Apart from the biological and clinical importance, the present work offers a roadmap for future investigations in the field of epistasis detection and interpretation.