Skip to main content

Computational Methods for the Identification of Genetic Variants in Complex Diseases

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Practical Applications of Computational Biology & Bioinformatics, 15th International Conference (PACBB 2021) (PACBB 2021)

Abstract

Complex diseases, as Type 2 Diabetes, arise from dysfunctional complex biological mechanisms, caused by multiple variants on underlying groups of genes, combined with lifestyle and environmental factors. Thus far, the known risk factors are not sufficient to predict the manifestation of the disease. Genome-Wide Association Studies (GWAS) data were used to test for genotype-phenotype associations and were combined with a network-based analysis approach. Three datasets of genes associated with this disease were built and features were extracted for each of these genes. Machine learning models were employed to develop a predictor of the risk associated with Type 2 Diabetes to help the identification of new genetic markers associated with the disease. The obtained results highlight that the use of gene regions and protein-protein interaction networks can identify new genes and pathways of interest and improve the model performance, providing new possible interpretation for the biology of the disease.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Auton, A., et al.: A global reference for human genetic variation. Nature 526(7571), 68–74 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Boyle, E.A., Li, Y.I., Pritchard, J.K.: An expanded view of complex traits: from polygenic to omnigenic. Cell 169(7), 1177–1186 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Collins, A., Yao, Y.: Machine learning approaches: data integration for disease prediction and prognosis. In: Yao, Y. (ed.) Applied Computational Genomics. TRBIO, vol. 13, pp. 137–141. Springer, Singapore (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-1071-3_10

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  4. Gaster, M., et al.: GLUT4 is reduced in slow muscle fibers of type 2 diabetic patients: is insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes a slow, type 1 fiber disease? Diabetes 50(6), 1324–1329 (2001)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Huang, D.W., Sherman, B.T., Lempicki, R.A.: Bioinformatics enrichment tools: paths toward the comprehensive functional analysis of large gene lists. Nucleic Acids Res. 37(1), 1–13 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Huang, D.W., Sherman, B.T., Lempicki, R.A.: Systematic and integrative analysis of large gene lists using DAVID bioinformatics resources. Nat. Protoc. 4(1), 44–57 (2009)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Jordan, B.: Genes and non-mendelian diseases: dealing with complexity. Perspect. Biol. Med. 57(1), 118–131 (2014)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Morris, A.P., Cardon, L.R.: Genome – wide association studies. In: Balding, D., Moltke, I., Marioni, J. (eds.) Handbook of Statistical Genomics, 4th edn, pp. 597–550. Wiley (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Oughtred, R., et al.: The BioGRID interaction database: 2019 update. Nucleic Acids Res. 47(D1), D529–D541 (2019)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Portal, Type 2 Diabetes Knowledge: Curated T2D effector gene predictions

    Google Scholar 

  11. Stančáková, A., Laakso, M.: Genetics of type 2 diabetes. In: Stettler, C., Christ, E., Diem, P. (eds.) Endocrine Development, vol. 31, pp. 203–220. Karger Publishers (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Visscher, P.M., et al.: 10 years of GWAS discovery: biology, function, and translation. Am. J. Hum. Genet. 101(1), 5–22 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Yates, A.D., et al.: Ensembl 2020. Nucleic Acids Res. 48(D1), D682–D688 (2019)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

This work is funded by national funds through the FCT - Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P., within the scope of the project CISUC - UID/CEC/00326/2020 and by European Social Fund, through the Regional Operational Program Centro 2020 and by the Portuguese Research Agency FCT, through D4 - Deep Drug Discovery and Deployment (CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-029266).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Antunes, D., Martins, D., Correia, F., Rocha, M., Arrais, J.P. (2022). Computational Methods for the Identification of Genetic Variants in Complex Diseases. In: Rocha, M., Fdez-Riverola, F., Mohamad, M.S., Casado-Vara, R. (eds) Practical Applications of Computational Biology & Bioinformatics, 15th International Conference (PACBB 2021). PACBB 2021. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 325. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86258-9_1

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics