Genetic analysis of indicators of cholesterol synthesis and absorption: Lathosterol and phytosterols in Dutch twins and their parents
article
Significant familial aggregation was observed for plasma levels of lathosterol (an indicator of whole-body cholesterol synthesis) and plant sterols campesterol and β-sitosterol (indicators of cholesterol absorption) in 160 Dutch families consisting of adolescent mono- and dizygotic twin pairs and their parents. For lathosterol a moderate genetic heritability in parents and offspring (29%) was found. In addition, shared environment also contributed significantly (37%) to variation in plasma lathosterol concentrations in twin siblings. However, a model with different genetic heritabilities in the two generations (10% in parents and 68% in offspring) fitted the data almost as well. For plasma plant sterol concentrations high heritabilities were found. For campesterol heritability was 80% and for β-sitosterol it was 73%, without evidence for differences in heritability between sexes or generations. No influence of common environmental influences shared by family members was seen for either campesterol or β-sitosterol. Taken together, these results confirm and expand the hypothesis that individual differences in plasma levels of noncholesterol sterols are moderately (lathosterol) to highly (plant sterols) heritable.
Topics
Biomedical Researchcampesterolcholesterollathosterolphytosterolsitosterolsteroladolescentadultarticleatherosclerosischolesterol synthesisdizygotic twinsfamily studyfemalegenetic analysisgenetic modelheritabilityhumanmajor clinical studymalemonozygotic twinsNetherlandspriority journalsex differencetwinsAdolescentAdultCholesterolEnvironmentFemaleHumansInheritance PatternsMaleMiddle AgedNetherlandsPhytosterolsTwins
TNO Identifier
237203
ISSN
13690523
Source
Twin Research, 6(4), pp. 307-314.
Pages
307-314