Distinct genetic architecture in the tails of complex traits - PubMed
2 hours ago
- #polygenic risk scores
- #genetic architecture
- #stabilizing selection
- Complex traits are generally polygenic with contributions from many common small-effect variants and some rare large-effect variants.
- A polygenic risk score-based approach revealed distinct genetic architectures in the tails of trait distributions for 74 quantitative traits.
- Rare variants of large effect were identified as key drivers of trait architecture in the tails, reducing deviations from common-variant patterns.
- Stabilizing selection likely shapes the observed tail-specific genetic architectures, supported by simulations and empirical reproductive success data.
- These findings imply that rare-variant discovery and trait/disease prediction models should account for tail-specific genetic architectures.