Detection of genetic interference: simulation studies and mouse data.

Genetic chiasma interference occurs when the occurrence of one crossover (or chiasma) influences the probability of another crossover occurring nearby. We investigated, by simulation studies, the power of three statistical methods to detect interference. Neither the traditional three-locus method nor a multiplicative model approach are very powerful, while a multilocus-feasible map function approach is more powerful, particularly as the number of loci increases. We show that the power to detect interference is quite sensitive to the underlying type of interference. When we tested for interference in two mouse data sets (from chromosomes 1 and 12), we found significant evidence of positive interference.