Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 9, 2026
08:20
Using Microarrays to Interrogate Microenvironmental Impact on Cellular Phenotypes in Cancer
Published on: May 21, 2019
Viewpoint: using gene-environment interactions to dissect the effects of complex mixtures
1Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, 1540 Alcazar Street, CHP-220, Los Angeles, California 90089-9011, USA. dthomas@usc.edu
Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology
|February 27, 2008
Summary
Determining health effects from complex mixtures is hard due to multicollinearity. A hierarchical modeling framework can incorporate external data like genetic interactions and toxicology to improve analysis.
Area of Science:
- Environmental health
- Statistical modeling
- Toxicology
Background:
- Assessing health impacts of complex mixtures presents significant statistical challenges, primarily due to multicollinearity.
- Existing statistical methods like principal component regression, model selection, and model averaging offer partial solutions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore a novel hierarchical modeling framework for analyzing health effects of complex mixtures.
- To address the statistical challenges posed by multicollinearity in mixture analysis.
Main Methods:
- Developing a general hierarchical modeling framework.
- Incorporating external information, such as exposure sources, genetic interactions, and toxicological data, into higher levels of the model.
Main Results:
- The proposed framework provides a structured approach to integrate diverse external data sources.
- This method aims to overcome limitations of traditional statistical techniques in handling multicollinearity.
Conclusions:
- Hierarchical modeling offers a promising avenue for more robust analysis of health effects from complex mixtures.
- Integrating external biological and exposure information enhances the ability to identify specific constituent impacts.
Related Concept Videos
01:20Gene-Environment Interactions
Gene expression is a dynamic process that is significantly influenced by environmental factors. This interaction underlies the complex nature of biological development and the phenotypic differences observed among individuals, even among those with identical genetic makeups. Factors such as radiation, temperature, behavior, nutrition, and stress play pivotal roles in determining how genes are expressed. The concept of the reaction range is central to understanding this interaction. It posits...
02:27Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
Although the genetic makeup of an organism plays a major role in determining the phenotype, there are also several environmental factors, such as temperature, oxygen availability, presence of mutagens, that can alter an organism’s phenotype.
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...
01:09Epistasis Analysis
Although Mendel chose seven unrelated traits in peas to study gene segregation, most traits involve multiple gene interactions that create a spectrum of phenotypes. When the interaction of various genes or alleles at different locations influences a phenotype, this is called epistasis. Epistasis often involves one gene masking or interfering with the expression of another (antagonistic epistasis). Epistasis often occurs when different genes are part of the same biochemical pathway. The...
01:23Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs
Behavior genetics explores how genetic inheritance influences human behavior. It focuses on how genes, passed from parents to offspring, contribute to the development of behavioral traits and tendencies. This branch of genetics seeks to understand the complex interplay between inherited genetic factors and environmental influences in shaping our behaviors.
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...
01:18Polygenic Traits
When more than one gene is responsible for a given phenotype, the trait is considered polygenic. Human height is a polygenic trait. Studies have uncovered hundreds of loci that influence height, and there are believed to be many more. Due to the high number of genes involved, as well as environmental and nutritional factors, height varies significantly within a given population. The distribution of height forms a bell-shaped curve, with relatively few individuals in the population at the...
01:29Pharmacogenetics and Pharmacogenomics: Overview
Pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics examine how genetic factors influence an individual's response to drugs. While pharmacogenetics focuses on the impact of specific genetic variants on drug effects, pharmacogenomics takes a broader approach, studying how genetic variation across populations contributes to differences in drug responses. These fields aim to explain why individuals may experience varying levels of efficacy or adverse reactions to the same medication.Variability in drug...