title: Genetic analysis of indicators of cholesterol synthesis and absorption: lathosterol and phytosterols in Dutch twins and their parents.
abstract: Significant familial aggregation was observed for plasma levels of lathosterol (an indicator of whole-body cholesterol synthesis) and plant sterols campesterol and beta-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 beta-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 beta-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.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000097:blood*; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D040582:Inheritance Patterns; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D010840:Phytosterols / Q000097:blood*; D014427:Twins / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D010840:Phytosterols; C001521:lathosterol; D002784:Cholesterol