title: Genetic control of the CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio in humans.
abstract: We studied the genetic pattern of inheritance of the ratio between circulating CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes in a population of healthy donors. The distribution of the CD4/CD8 ratio in males and females was significantly different and was significantly affected by age. In 46 randomly selected families, the parental CD4/CD8 ratio significantly influenced the ratio in offspring. Complex segregation analysis of the data rejected the non-genetic hypothesis; among the genetic models tested, a major recessive gene with a polygenic component and random environmental effects was the most parsimonious model. These findings indicate that the ratio of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells is genetically controlled in humans.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D016516:CD4-CD8 Ratio; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005260:Female; D005808:Genes, Recessive; D005828:Genetics, Population; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008957:Models, Genetic; D010641:Phenotype; D012737:Sex Factors