Novartis Foundation 293 - Genetic Effects On Environmental Vulnerability To Disease

Much research has attempted to show direct linear relations between genes and disorder. However, scientists have been discouraged by inconsistent findings based on this simple gene-phenotype approach. The alternative approach is to incorporate information about the environment. A gene-environment interaction approach assumes that environmental pathogens cause disorder, whereas genes influence susceptibility to environmental pathogens.

This book brings together contributions from experts from multiple disciplines who discuss:

• How epidemiological cohort studies can better integrate physiological (mechanistic) measures;
• How best to characterise subjects’ vulnerability versus resilience by moving beyond single genetic polymorphisms;
• How gene hunters can benefit from recruiting samples selected for known exposures;
• How environmental pathogens can be used as tools for gene hunting;
• How to deal with potential spurious (statistical) interactions, and
• How genes can help explain fundamental demographic properties of disorders (e.g. sex distribution, age effects).

Prof Sir Michael Rutter, King's College, London, UK
Prof Rutter is the leading child psychiatrist in the UK. He set up the MRC Child Psychiatry Research Unit and the Institute of Psychiatry's Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre. He was Deputy Chairman of the Wellcome Trust from 1999 to 2004, and has been a Trustee of the Nuffield Foundation since 1992. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1987 and an honorary member of the British Academy in 2002.?He was a Founding Fellow of the Academia Europaea and the Academy of Medical Sciences, of which he is currently Clinical Vice-President.
He has published extensively.

1. Michael Rutter

Introduction: whither gene–environment interactions?

2. Rudolf Uher

Gene–environment interaction: overcoming methodological challenges

Discussion

3. Marco Battaglia, Cecilia Marino, Michel Maziade, Massimo Molteni and Francesca D’Amato

Gene–environment interaction and behavioural disorders: a developmental perspective based on endophenotypes

Discussion

4. Naomi R. Wray, William L. Coventry, Michael R. James, Grant W. Montgomery, Lindon J. Eaves and Nicholas G. Martin

Use of monozygotic twins to investigate the relationship between 5HTTLPR genotype, depression and stressful life events: an application of Item Response Theory

Discussion

Appendix

General discussion I

5. Harold Snieder, Xiaoling Wang, Vasiliki Lagou, Brenda W. J. H. Penninx, Harriëtte Riese and Catharina A. Hartman

Role of gene–stress interactions in gene-finding studies

Discussion

6. Kenneth A. Dodge

Practice and public policy in the era of gene–environment interactions

Discussion

7. Kristi B. Adamo and Frédérique Tesson

Gene–environment interaction and the metabolic syndrome

Discussion

General discussion II

8. Stephen P. Robertson and Richie Poulton

Longitudinal studies of gene–environment interaction in common diseases—good value for money?

Discussion

9. Kee-Seng Chia

Gene–environment interactions in breast cancer

Discussion

10. Malak Kotb, Nourtan Abdeltawab, Ramy Aziz, Sarah Rowe, Robert W. Williams and Lu Lu

Unbiased forward genetics and systems biology approaches to understanding how gene–environment interactions work to predict susceptibility and outcomes of infections

Discussion

11. Steven R. Kleeberger and Hye-Youn Cho

Gene–environment interactions in environmental lung diseases

Discussion

General discussion III

12. Fernando D. Martinez

Gene–environment interaction in complex diseases: asthma as an illustrative case

Discussion

13. Michael Rutter

Conclusions: taking stock and looking ahead

Glossary

Index of contributors

Subject index