Middelberg Rita P S, Martin Nicholas G, Whitfield John B
Genetic Epidemiology Unit, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Australia.
Twin Res Hum Genet. 2007 Feb;10(1):127-35. doi: 10.1375/twin.10.1.127.
Plasma lipids such as high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol and triglyceride levels contribute to variation in the risk of cardiovascular disease. The early stages of atherosclerosis in childhood have also been associated with changes in triglycerides, LDL and HDL. Heritability estimates for lipids and lipoproteins for adolescents are in the range .71 to .82, but little is known about changes of genetic and environmental influences over time in adolescence. We have investigated the contribution of genetic and environmental influences to variation in lipids in adolescent twins and their nontwin siblings using longitudinal twin and family data. Plasma HDL and LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol and triglycerides data from 965 twin pairs at 12, 14 and 16 years of age and their siblings have been analyzed. Longitudinal genetic models that included effects of age, sex and their interaction were fitted to assess whether the same or different genes influence each trait at different ages. Results suggested that more than one genetic factor influences HDL, LDL, total cholesterol and triglycerides over time at ages 12, 14 and 16 years. There was no evidence of shared environmental effects except for HDL and little evidence of long-term nonshared environmental effects was found. Our study suggested that there are developmental changes in the genes affecting plasma lipid concentrations across adolescence.
血浆脂质，如高密度脂蛋白（HDL）、低密度脂蛋白（LDL）、总胆固醇和甘油三酯水平，会导致心血管疾病风险的差异。儿童期动脉粥样硬化的早期阶段也与甘油三酯、低密度脂蛋白和高密度脂蛋白的变化有关。青少年脂质和脂蛋白的遗传度估计值在0.71至0.82之间，但对于青少年时期遗传和环境影响随时间的变化知之甚少。我们利用纵向双胞胎和家庭数据，研究了遗传和环境影响对青少年双胞胎及其非双胞胎兄弟姐妹脂质差异的作用。分析了来自965对双胞胎及其兄弟姐妹在12岁、14岁和16岁时的血浆高密度脂蛋白和低密度脂蛋白胆固醇、总胆固醇和甘油三酯数据。采用包括年龄、性别及其相互作用影响的纵向遗传模型，以评估在不同年龄影响每个性状的基因是否相同或不同。结果表明，在12岁、14岁和16岁时，随着时间推移，不止一个遗传因素影响高密度脂蛋白、低密度脂蛋白、总胆固醇和甘油三酯。除高密度脂蛋白外，没有共享环境影响的证据，也几乎没有发现长期非共享环境影响的证据。我们的研究表明，在整个青春期，影响血浆脂质浓度的基因存在发育变化。
