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The Genetics of Asymmetry: Whole Exome Sequencing in a Consanguineous Turkish Family with an Overrepresentation of Left-Handedness

Authors :
Sebastian Ocklenburg
Ceren Barutçuoğlu
Adile Öniz Özgören
Murat Özgören
Esra Erdal
Dirk Moser
Judith Schmitz
Robert Kumsta
Onur Güntürkün
Source :
Symmetry, Vol 9, Iss 5, p 66 (2017)
Publication Year :
2017
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2017.

Abstract

Handedness is the most pronounced behavioral asymmetry in humans. Genome-wide association studies have largely failed to identify genetic loci associated with phenotypic variance in handedness, supporting the idea that the trait is determined by a multitude of small, possibly interacting genetic and non-genetic influences. However, these studies typically are not capable of detecting influences of rare mutations on handedness. Here, we used whole exome sequencing in a Turkish family with history of consanguinity and overrepresentation of left-handedness and performed quantitative trait analysis with handedness lateralization quotient as a phenotype. While rare variants on different loci showed significant association with the phenotype, none was functionally relevant for handedness. This finding was further confirmed by gene ontology group analysis. Taken together, our results add further evidence to the suggestion that there is no major gene or mutation that causes left-handedness.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20738994
Volume :
9
Issue :
5
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Symmetry
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.220e242e1f57459194d31fa9d42c29b3
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/sym9050066