Genetic Association Test for Multiple Traits at Gene Level

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) at the gene level are commonly used to understand biological mechanisms underlying complex diseases. In general, one response or outcome is used to present a disease of interest in such studies. In this study, we consider a multiple traits association test from the gene level. We propose and examine a class of test statistics that summarizes the association information between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and each of the traits. Our simulation studies demonstrate the advantage of gene-based multiple traits association tests when multiple traits share common genes. Using our proposed tests, we reanalyze the dataset from the Study of Addiction: Genetics and Environment (SAGE). Our result validates previous findings while presenting stronger evidence for consideration of multiple traits.