Gene-Environment Interaction in Genome-Wide Association Studies

It is a commonly held belief that most complex diseases (e.g.,diabetes, asthma, cancer) are affected in part by interactionsbetween genes and environmental factors. However, investigatorsconducting genome-wide association studies typically test foronly the marginal effects of each genetic marker on disease.In this paper, the authors propose an efficient and easily implemented2-step analysis of genome-wide association study data aimedat identifying genes involved in a gene-environment interaction.The procedure complements screening for marginal genetic effectsand thus has the potential to uncover new genetic signals thathave not been identified previously. association; environment; genes; genetic markers; genetics; genome