Shared associations identify causal relationships between gene expression and immune cell phenotypes

Abstract Genetic mapping studies have identified thousands of associations between common variants and hundreds human traits. Translating these into mechanisms is complicated by two factors: they fall gene regulatory regions; are rarely mapped to one causal variant. One way around limitations find groups traits that share associations, using this genetic link infer a biological connection. Here, we assess how many trait in the same locus due variant, thus shared; if shared relationships We only subset with rather than pleiotropy. therefore suggest simply observing overlapping at insufficient causality; direct evidence required support mechanistic hypotheses complex