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Quantitative trait loci for baseline white blood cell count, platelet count, and mean platelet volume

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Abstract

A substantial genetic contribution to baseline peripheral blood counts has been established. We performed quantitative trait locus/loci (QTL) analyses to identify chromosome (Chr) regions harboring genes influencing the baseline white blood cell (WBC) count, platelet (Plt) count, and mean platelet volume (MPV) in F2 intercrosses between NZW/LacJ, SM/J, and C57BLKS/J inbred mice. We identified six significant WBC QTL: Wbcq1 (peak LOD score at 38 cM, Chr 1), Wbcq2 (42 cM, Chr 3), Wbcq3 (0 cM, Chr 15), Wbcq4 (58 cM, Chr 1), Wbcq5 (82 cM, Chr 1), and Wbcq6 (8 cM, Chr 14). Three significant Plt QTL were identified: Pltq1 (24 cM, Chr 2), Pltq2 (36 cM, Chr 7), and Pltq3 (10 cM, Chr 12). Two significant MPV QTL were identified, Mpvq1 (62 cM, Chr 15) and Mpvq2 (44 cM, Chr 8). In total, the WBC QTL accounted for up to 31% of the total variance in baseline WBC count, while the Plt and MPV QTL accounted for up to 30% and 49% of the total variance, respectively. These analyses underscore the genetic complexity underlying these traits in normal populations and provide the basis for future studies to identify novel genes involved in the regulation of mammalian hematopoiesis.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank Drs. Beverly Paigen and David Harrison for critical review of the manuscript. Supported by National Institutes of Health grants HL68922 (O.S.P), HL64885 and HL66611 (L.L.P.), and The National Cancer Institute CA34196 (The Jackson Laboratory).

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  1. The Jackson Laboratory, 600 Main Street, Bar Harbor, Maine, 04609, USA

    Luanne L. Peters, Weidong Zhang, Amy J. Lambert & Gary A. Churchill

  2. Department of Laboratory Medicine, Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, 02115, USA

    Carlo Brugnara & Orah S. Platt

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  1. Luanne L. Peters
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  2. Weidong Zhang
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  3. Amy J. Lambert
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Correspondence to Luanne L. Peters.

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Peters, L.L., Zhang, W., Lambert, A.J. et al. Quantitative trait loci for baseline white blood cell count, platelet count, and mean platelet volume. Mamm Genome 16, 749–763 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00335-005-0063-6

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