title: Heritability and genetic covariation of sensitivity to PROP, SOA, quinine HCl, and caffeine.
abstract: The perceived bitterness intensity for bitter solutions of propylthiouracil (PROP), sucrose octa-acetate (SOA), quinine HCl and caffeine were examined in a genetically informative sample of 392 females and 313 males (mean age of 17.8 +/- 3.1 years), including 62 monozygotic and 131 dizygotic twin pairs and 237 sib pairs. Broad-sense heritabilities were estimated at 0.72, 0.28, 0.34, and 0.30 for PROP, SOA, quinine, and caffeine, respectively, for perceived intensity measures. Modeling showed 1) a group factor which explained a large amount of the genetic variation in SOA, quinine, and caffeine (22-28% phenotypic variation), 2) a factor responsible for all the genetic variation in PROP (72% phenotypic variation), which only accounted for 1% and 2% of the phenotypic variation in SOA and caffeine, respectively, and 3) a modest specific genetic factor for quinine (12% phenotypic variation). Unique environmental influences for all four compounds were due to a single factor responsible for 7-22% of phenotypic variation. The results suggest that the perception of PROP and the perception of SOA, quinine, and caffeine are influenced by two distinct sets of genes.
authors.affiliation: Genetic Epidemiology Group, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia. Jonathan.Hansen@qimr.edu.au
authors.forename: Jonathan L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Danielle R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.forename: Margaret J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Nicholas G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Paul A S
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Breslin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002110:Caffeine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006801:Humans; D040582:Inheritance Patterns; D008297:Male; D008957:Models, Genetic; D010641:Phenotype; D011441:Propylthiouracil / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011803:Quinine / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D035781:Siblings; D013395:Sucrose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C026879:sucrose octaacetate; D002110:Caffeine; D013395:Sucrose; D011441:Propylthiouracil; D011803:Quinine