Second, our discovery analyses were conducted in a sample >10 times larger than the largest replication datasets available. Because trans-eQTL effects are generally weak, this lack of statistical power likely causes low replication rates. Additionally, trans-eQTL effects are widely considered to be more cell-type- and tissue-specific than local cis-eQTL effects18. Although this belief might be partly caused by variable trans-eQTL strengths in different tissue contexts and the limited power of current trans-eQTL studies, it would also lead to lower replication rates of blood trans-eQTLs in specific cell types.
