MERLIN

Record added by Jurg Ott (the original Rockefeller list)

Full Name

Multipoint Engine for Rapid Likelihood INference

Version

1.0.1

Description

Merlin carries out single-point and multipoint analyses of pedigree data, including IBD and kinship calculations, nonparametric and variance component linkage analyses, error detection and information content mapping. For multipoint analyses in dense maps, Merlin allows the user to impose constraints on the number of recombinants between consecutive markers. Merlin estimates haplotypes by finding the most likely path of gene flow or by sampling paths of gene flow at all markers jointly. It can also list all possible nonrecombinant haplotypes within short regions. Finally, Merlin provides swap-file support for handling very large numbers of markers as well as gene-dropping simulations for estimating empirical significance levels.

Author

Goncalo Abecasis (email: goncalo@umich.edu)

URL

  • http://www.sph.umich.edu/csg/abecasis/Merlin
  • http://www.sph.umich.edu/csg/abecasis/Merlin/download

    Language

    C++

    OS

    UNIX. LINUX

    EXE

    merlin, pedstats, pedwipe

    Reference

    Abecasis GR, Cherny SS, Cookson WO and Cardon LR (2002), “Merlin-rapid analysis of dense genetic maps using sparse gene flow trees”, Nature Genetics, 30:97-101.