Detecting case-control expression quantitative trait loci using locally most powerful or maximin robust rank tests

In testing genome-wide gene expression quantitative trait loci, efficiency robust statistical methods and their computational convenience are most relevant. For this purpose, we propose to use a modified locally most powerful rank test for the analysis of case-control expression data. This modified rank test statistic is computationally simple, robust for non-normally distributed expression data, and asymptotically locally most powerful. It depends on the specification of a location distribution form for data but is not sensitive to misspecifications. When such a location distribution form cannot be specified, we apply Gastwirth's maximin efficiency robust rank test to gene expression data to maximize the worst Pitman asymptotic relative efficiency among a family of location distributions. We conduct simulation studies to assess their performance and use an application to real data for illustration. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.