Genetic Epidemiology, Translational Neurogenomics, Psychiatric Genetics and Statistical Genetics Laboratories investigate the pattern of disease in families, particularly identical and non-identical twins, to assess the relative importance of genes and environment in a variety of important health problems.
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PMID
20926817
TITLE
The relationship between retinal arteriolar and venular calibers is genetically mediated, and each is associated with risk of cardiovascular disease.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE NlmCategory: OBJECTIVE
Retinal arteriolar and venular calibers are highly heritable and associated with cardiovascular disease. This study was designed to investigate the relative influence of genetic and environmental factors on the high phenotypic correlation (r = 0.59) between these two traits and to assess the shared and specific influence of established and novel cardiovascular disease risk factors on them.
METHODS NlmCategory: METHODS
A total of 1463 Caucasian female twins (706 monozygotic and 757 dizygotic), between 24 and 79 years of age, underwent retinal photography from which retinal arteriolar (mean, 153.75 ± 22.1 μm, SD) and venular (mean, 232.1 ± 36.6 μm) calibers were measured with semiautomated software. A bivariate heritability model was used to assess the genetic and environmental influences underlying both specific trait variance and the covariance between the vessel traits. The investigation was an assessment of phenotypic associations between retinal arteriolar and venular calibers and cardiovascular disease risk factors.
RESULTS NlmCategory: RESULTS
Additive genetic factors accounted for approximately three fourths of the covariance between retinal arteriolar and venular calibers within the cohort. This finding was replicated in a sample of 1981 twins from the Australian Twins Eye Study. The partial correlation showed that known risk factors accounted for only 5% of the covariance between arteriolar and venular calibers. Novel associations were found between venular caliber and β-cell function (P = 0.011) and insulin sensitivity (P = 0.002).
CONCLUSIONS NlmCategory: CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that future gene-mapping studies may identify pleiotropic genetic variants influencing both retinal arteriolar and venular calibers. Genetic variants associated with retinal caliber and (risk factors for) cardiovascular disease should provide new etiologic insights into this complex disease.
DATE PUBLISHED
2011 Feb
HISTORY
PUBSTATUS PUBSTATUSDATE
ppublish 2011
entrez 2010/10/08 06:00
pubmed 2010/10/12 06:00
medline 2011/04/02 06:00
AUTHORS
NAME COLLECTIVENAME LASTNAME FORENAME INITIALS AFFILIATION AFFILIATIONINFO
Fahy SJ Fahy Samantha J SJ Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, School of Medicine, London, United Kingdom. samantha.fahy@kcl.ac.uk
Sun C Sun Cong C
Zhu G Zhu Gu G
Healey PR Healey Paul R PR
Spector TD Spector Tim D TD
Martin NG Martin Nicolas G NG
Mitchell P Mitchell Paul P
Wong TY Wong Tien Y TY
Mackey DA Mackey David A DA
Hammond CJ Hammond Christopher J CJ
Andrew T Andrew Toby T
INVESTIGATORS
JOURNAL
VOLUME: 52
ISSUE: 2
TITLE: Investigative ophthalmology & visual science
ISOABBREVIATION: Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci.
YEAR: 2011
MONTH: Feb
DAY:
MEDLINEDATE:
SEASON:
CITEDMEDIUM: Internet
ISSN: 1552-5783
ISSNTYPE: Electronic
MEDLINE JOURNAL
MEDLINETA: Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci
COUNTRY: United States
ISSNLINKING: 0146-0404
NLMUNIQUEID: 7703701
PUBLICATION TYPE
PUBLICATIONTYPE TEXT
Journal Article
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Twin Study
COMMENTS AND CORRECTIONS
REFTYPE REFSOURCE REFPMID NOTE
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GRANTS
GRANTID AGENCY COUNTRY
1R01EY018246 NEI NIH HHS United States
G0901017 Medical Research Council United Kingdom
G20234 Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council United Kingdom
Wellcome Trust United Kingdom
GENERAL NOTE
KEYWORDS
MESH HEADINGS
DESCRIPTORNAME QUALIFIERNAME
Adult
Aged
Arterioles anatomy & histology
Cardiovascular Diseases pathology
Diseases in Twins genetics
European Continental Ancestry Group genetics
Female genetics
Genetic Predisposition to Disease genetics
Humans genetics
Male genetics
Middle Aged genetics
Models, Genetic genetics
Organ Size genetics
Phenotype genetics
Photography genetics
Quantitative Trait Loci genetics
Retinal Artery anatomy & histology
Retinal Vein anatomy & histology
Risk Factors anatomy & histology
Twins, Dizygotic genetics
Twins, Monozygotic genetics
Venules anatomy & histology
Young Adult anatomy & histology
SUPPLEMENTARY MESH
GENE SYMBOLS
CHEMICALS
OTHER ID's
OTHERID SOURCE
PMC3053116 NLM
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