Geographical Genomics of Human Leukocytes Gene Expression Variation. Homo sapiens

Genome-wide association studies of transcript abundance in peripheral blood samples or derivative cell lines have demonstrated a preponderance of eSNP effects that, for the most part, involve regulatory polymorphisms in the differentially expressed gene. Several of these highlight associations that contribute to a variety of disease conditions, but the question arises as to how the associations are affected by the environment. Here we address the robustness of eSNP associations to environmental geography and population structure in a comparison of 194 Arab and Amazigh individuals from a city and two villages in southern Morocco. Overall design: 194 individuals both men and women representing two ethnicities (Arabs and Amazighs) from three geographic locations (Agadir, Boutroch and Ighrem) and two lifestyles (Urban and Rural) were sampled under informed consent. Only healthy individuals aged between 18 and 50 were sampled. RNA from each was hybridized to an Illumina array. No technical replicates were performed in this study.