Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T01:05:18.906Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Genetics of Plasma Cholesterol and Triglycerides: A Study of Adult Male Twins*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

Joe C. Christian*
Affiliation:
Indiana University Medical School, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Manning Feinleib
Affiliation:
National Institues of Health, National Heart & Lung Institute Division of Heart & Vascular Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Stephen B. Hulley
Affiliation:
Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, California, USA
William P. Castelli
Affiliation:
National Institues of Health, National Heart & Lung Institute Division of Heart & Vascular Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Richard R. Fabsitz
Affiliation:
National Institues of Health, National Heart & Lung Institute Division of Heart & Vascular Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Robert J. Garrison
Affiliation:
National Institues of Health, National Heart & Lung Institute Division of Heart & Vascular Diseases, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Nemat O. Borhani
Affiliation:
University of California, School of Medicine, Davis, California, USA
Ray H. Rosenman
Affiliation:
Mount Zion Hospital & Medical Center, San Francisco, California, USA
John Wagner
Affiliation:
Rancho Los Amigos Hospital, Downey, California, USA
*
Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, University of Indiana, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Fasting plasma triglycerides and cholesterol, as well as cholesterol in very low density, low density and high density lipoproteins, were measured in 250 MZ and 264 DZ adult male twin pairs. A new method was used to choose an estimate of genetic variance. This includes an estimate of genetic variance for use when the total variances of MZ and DZ twins are unequal. DZ twins had greater total variance for cholesterol. When genetic variance was estimated by subtracting the within-MZ-sets mean square from the within-DZ-sets mean square, all of the lipids had significant estimates of genetic variance; however, when genetic variance was estimated by a method designed to correct bias due to unequal total variances of MZ and DZ twins, only triglycerides had significant genetic variance. The heritability of plasma triglycerides was calculated to be 0.68.

Type
5. Twin Studies in Human Genetics
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1976

Footnotes

*

Supported by research contracts (NIH-70-2246; NIH-70-2268; NIH-71-2307) with the National Heart and Lung Institute.

References

REFERENCES

Blomstrand, R., Lundman, T. 1966. Serum lipids, smoking and heredity. Acta Med. Scand. [Suppl.], 455: 5160.Google Scholar
Christian, J.C., Kang, K.W., Norton, J.A. Jr. 1974. Choice of an estimate of genetic variance from twin data. Am. J. Hum. Genet., 26: 154161.Google Scholar
Cochran, W.G. 1951. Testing a linear relation among variances. Biometrics, 7: 1732.Google Scholar
Feinleib, M., Christian, J.C., Borhani, N.O., Rosenman, R.J., Wagner, J., Kannel, W.B., Hrubec, Z., Schwartz, J.T. 1974. The National Heart and Lung Institute Twin Study of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors: organization and methodology. Proc. 1st Int. Congr. Twin Studies, Rome. Acta Genet. Med. Gemellol. (Roma), 25: 125128.Google Scholar
Falconer, D.A. 1960. Quantitative Genetics. New York: Ronald Press.Google Scholar
Fredrickson, D.S., Levy, R.I. 1972. Familial hyperlipoproteinemia. In Stanbury, J.B., Wyngaarden, J.B. and Fredrickson, D.S. (eds.): The Metabolic Basis of Inherited Disease [pp. 545614]. New York: McGraw Hill.Google Scholar
Gedda, L., Poggi, D. 1960. Sulla regolazione genetica del colesterolo ematico. Uno studio su 50 coppie gemellari MZ e 50 coppie DZ. Acta Genet. Med. Gemellol. (Roma), 9: 135154.Google Scholar
Jensen, J., Blankenhorn, D., Chin, H.P., Sturgeon, P., Nare, A.G. 1965. Serum lipids and serum uric acid in human twins. J. Lipid Res., 6: 193205.Google Scholar
Kang, K.W., Taylor, G.E., Greves, J.H., Staley, H.L., Christian, J.C. 1971. Genetic variability of human plasma and erythrocyte lipids. Lipids, 6: 595600.Google Scholar
Meyer, K. 1962. Serum cholesterol and heredity. A twin study. Acta Med. Scand., 172: 401404.Google Scholar
Osborne, R.H., Adlersberg, D., De George, F.V., Wang, C. 1959. Serum lipids, heredity and environment: a study of adult twins. Am. J. Med., 26: 5459.Google Scholar
Pikkarainen, J., Jakkunen, J., Kulonen, E. 1966. Serum cholesterol in Finnish twins. Am. J. Hum. Genet., 18: 115126.Google ScholarPubMed
Rifkind, B.M., Boyle, J.A., Gale, M., Greig, W., Buchanan, W.W. 1968. Study of serum lipid levels in twins. Cardiovasc. Res., 2: 148156.Google Scholar