A particular family has a multi-generational history of an unknown and painful pancreatic disease. So far, as family history can determine, the first person known to suffer from the disease was...

A particular family has a multi-generational history of an unknown and painful pancreatic disease. So far, as family history can determine, the first person known to suffer from the disease was William, who lived from 1889 to 1972; William’s wife Alma (1895–1979) did not suffer from the disease. A few years ago, one member of the family who suffered from the disease contacted a geneticist in an attempt to understand the disease and learn about possible therapies. In reconstructing the family history, the geneticist concluded that the disease was probably an autosomal dominant trait. The affected woman organized a large family reunion of all known descendants of William and Alma, who numbered in the hundreds, and included sons, daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, with many complicated relationships. The geneticist collected DNA samples from all of the cooperating descendants, classified them according to whether or not they were affected by the disease, and genotyped them for single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at four different locations that had previously been associated with pancreatic diseases. Table Q9.1 shows the SNPs and their locations, and the fraction of people who had that SNP and who had the disease.

a. Based on data from this family, which of these SNPs is most closely linked to the mutation that causes the disease? b. Does this SNP cause the disease? c. What was William’s haplotype at that location?