The current study was performed as part of a long-term research program on the genetic basis for complex phenotypes in the Hutterites (63–66). During this time, phenotypes and genotypes were collected in different phases and by using multiple platforms (typically the most cutting edge technology available at the time). The lymphocyte count data used in our GWAS were collected between 1996 and 1997 (25). The choice of individuals for our gene expression profiling study (48 individuals from each tail of the lymphocyte count distribution) was based on phenotypes collected on an overlapping sample of individuals studied between 2006 and 2009. Samples from 36 individuals were included in both the GWAS (n = 462 individuals) and the gene expression study (n = 95 individuals).
