title: Innate and adaptive immune traits are differentially affected by genetic and environmental factors.
abstract: The diversity and activity of leukocytes is controlled by genetic and environmental influences to maintain balanced immune responses. However, the relative contribution of environmental compared with genetic factors that affect variations in immune traits is unknown. Here we analyse 23,394 immune phenotypes in 497 adult female twins. 76% of these traits show a predominantly heritable influence, whereas 24% are mostly influenced by environment. These data highlight the importance of shared childhood environmental influences such as diet, infections or microbes in shaping immune homeostasis for monocytes, B1 cells, γδ T cells and NKT cells, whereas dendritic cells, B2 cells, CD4+T and CD8+T cells are more influenced by genetics. Although leukocyte subsets are influenced by genetics and environment, adaptive immune traits are more affected by genetics, whereas innate immune traits are more affected by environment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, Kings College London, London SE1 7EH, UK.|NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation Trust, London SE1 9RT, UK.
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mangino
authors.affiliation: ImmunoTechnology Section, Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, NIH, 40 Convent Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20817, USA.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7448-7040
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roederer
authors.affiliation: ImmunoTechnology Section, Vaccine Research Center, NIAID, NIH, 40 Convent Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20817, USA.
authors.forename: Margaret H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Beddall
authors.affiliation: NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation Trust, London SE1 9RT, UK.|Cutaneous Medicine Unit, St John's Institute of Dermatology, King's College London, London SE1 9RT, UK.
authors.forename: Frank O
authors.initials: FO
authors.lastname: Nestle
authors.affiliation: Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, Kings College London, London SE1 7EH, UK.
authors.forename: Tim D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Spector
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000276:immunology*; D000368:Aged; D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells / Q000276:immunology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004032:Diet; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics*; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D064307:Microbiota; D008875:Middle Aged; D009000:Monocytes / Q000276:immunology; D055611:Natural Killer T-Cells / Q000276:immunology; D010641:Phenotype; D057285:Precision Medicine; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology