Contemporary Model-Free Methods for Linkage Analysis

Model-free linkage methods are based on identifying regions of the genome in which patterns of allele sharing among family members correspond to patterns of phenotype correlation among family members. Two general classes of model-free linkage methods are discussed in this chapter, relative pair methods designed primarily for analysis of discrete traits and variance component methods designed primarily for analysis of quantitative traits. These methods have been used to identify numerous genes influencing complex human phenotypes and remain viable approaches to gene localization in the twenty-first century.