Genetic mapping reveals complex traits draw more heritability from intergenic DNA
Researchers from the University of Oslo have discovered that the heritability of complex traits and disorders is increasingly linked to intergenic DNA regions. The study suggests that non-coding DNA plays a larger role in polygenic conditions like schizophrenia than previously understood.
Why it matters
This finding advances the understanding of genetic architecture, potentially improving future research into the biological roots of psychiatric and cognitive disorders.
edited by Lisa Lock , reviewed by Andrew Zinin
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Add as preferred source Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Schizophrenia, height, cholesterol. Each has its own genetic signature. That signature is made up of genetic variants: small differences in the DNA sequence that make one person's genome differ from another's. Some traits, such as the amount of cholesterol in the blood, are shaped by relatively few genetic variants. Other traits, such as schizophrenia, are shaped by many thousands of them, each contributing almost nothing on its own. Geneticists call this polygenicity.
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