Biomaterial Database

Genetic and environmental influences on serum lipids and the effects of puberty: a Chinese twin study. 2009

Tian-Jiao Chen, and Cheng-Ye Ji, and Yong-Hua Hu

Institute of Child and Adolescent Health, Peking University, 38 Xueyuan Road, Beijing, China. tianjiaochen@163.com

OBJECTIVE To study the contribution of genes and environment on the variation of serum lipids and the effects of puberty. METHODS In total, 314 same-sex twin pairs aged 5-18 years were studied. Puberty was marked physiologically by spermarche/menarche, and model fitting was used to analyse the genetic and environmental variance and its difference before and after puberty. RESULTS Lipid levels were different before and after puberty. The genetic factor had an important influence on lipid levels; the heritability estimates of total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) and apolipoprotein E (ApoE) were between 49 and 86%. The total phenotypic variances of TC, HDL, LDL, Lp(a) and ApoE decreased after puberty, mainly as a result of decrease of genetic variance, even though the common environmental variance for HDL, Lp(a) and ApoE increased. CONCLUSIONS Genes and the environment have different effects on the levels of different lipids. The shared environmental effects on lipids are very important in children. The role of puberty on lipids deserves future study.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008075	Lipoproteins, HDL	A class of lipoproteins of small size (4-13 nm) and dense (greater than 1.063 g/ml) particles. HDL lipoproteins, synthesized in the liver without a lipid core, accumulate cholesterol esters from peripheral tissues and transport them to the liver for re-utilization or elimination from the body (the reverse cholesterol transport). Their major protein component is APOLIPOPROTEIN A-I. HDL also shuttle APOLIPOPROTEINS C and APOLIPOPROTEINS E to and from triglyceride-rich lipoproteins during their catabolism. HDL plasma level has been inversely correlated with the risk of cardiovascular diseases.	High Density Lipoprotein,High-Density Lipoprotein,High-Density Lipoproteins,alpha-Lipoprotein,alpha-Lipoproteins,Heavy Lipoproteins,alpha-1 Lipoprotein,Density Lipoprotein, High,HDL Lipoproteins,High Density Lipoproteins,Lipoprotein, High Density,Lipoprotein, High-Density,Lipoproteins, Heavy,Lipoproteins, High-Density,alpha Lipoprotein,alpha Lipoproteins
D008077	Lipoproteins, LDL	A class of lipoproteins of small size (18-25 nm) and light (1.019-1.063 g/ml) particles with a core composed mainly of CHOLESTEROL ESTERS and smaller amounts of TRIGLYCERIDES. The surface monolayer consists mostly of PHOSPHOLIPIDS, a single copy of APOLIPOPROTEIN B-100, and free cholesterol molecules. The main LDL function is to transport cholesterol and cholesterol esters to extrahepatic tissues.	Low-Density Lipoprotein,Low-Density Lipoproteins,beta-Lipoprotein,beta-Lipoproteins,LDL(1),LDL(2),LDL-1,LDL-2,LDL1,LDL2,Low-Density Lipoprotein 1,Low-Density Lipoprotein 2,LDL Lipoproteins,Lipoprotein, Low-Density,Lipoproteins, Low-Density,Low Density Lipoprotein,Low Density Lipoprotein 1,Low Density Lipoprotein 2,Low Density Lipoproteins,beta Lipoprotein,beta Lipoproteins
D008297	Male		Males
D010641	Phenotype	The outward appearance of the individual. It is the product of interactions between genes, and between the GENOTYPE and the environment.	Phenotypes
D011627	Puberty	A period in the human life in which the development of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal system takes place and reaches full maturity. The onset of synchronized endocrine events in puberty lead to the capacity for reproduction (FERTILITY), development of secondary SEX CHARACTERISTICS, and other changes seen in ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT.	Puberties
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D002675	Child, Preschool	A child between the ages of 2 and 5.	Children, Preschool,Preschool Child,Preschool Children
D002681	China	A country spanning from central Asia to the Pacific Ocean.	Inner Mongolia,Manchuria,People's Republic of China,Sinkiang,Mainland China
D002784	Cholesterol	The principal sterol of all higher animals, distributed in body tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in animal fats and oils.	Epicholesterol
D004777	Environment	The external elements and conditions which surround, influence, and affect the life and development of an organism or population.	Environmental Impact,Environmental Impacts,Impact, Environmental,Impacts, Environmental,Environments