Description of three data sets: Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Asthma (CSGA), the German Affected-Sib-Pair Study, and the Hutterites of South Dakota.

Three different data sets with clinical data and markers from genome-wide screens were submitted for analysis at Genetic Analysis Workshop 12. In each study, participants were carefully characterized for asthma and related phenotypes. Testing for bronchial hyper-responsiveness using methacholine and standardized protocols was performed. Total serum IgE levels were measured using standardized techniques. In addition, similar questionnaire data on symptoms and relevant environmental exposures were obtained. Relevant clinical data and genotypes for the polymorphic markers used for each genome-wide screen were submitted. The data set from the United States Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Asthma represents a heterogeneous population consisting of both Caucasian and African American families ascertained through two siblings with clinical asthma from multiple centers. Likewise, the families from the German Asthma Genetics Group were also ascertained through two siblings with asthma at multiple centers. In a contrast to these data sets, Dr. Carole Ober and her collaborators submitted data from the inbred Hutterite population in South Dakota.