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Twins of Mistaken Zygosity (TOMZ): Evidence for Genetic Contributions to Dietary Patterns and Physiologic Traits

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2012

Erica P. Gunderson*
Affiliation:
Kaiser Permanente, Division of Research, California, United States of America. epg@dor.kaiser.org
Ai-Lin Tsai
Affiliation:
Kaiser Permanente, Division of Research, California, United States of America.
Joe V. Selby
Affiliation:
Kaiser Permanente, Division of Research, California, United States of America.
Bette Caan
Affiliation:
Kaiser Permanente, Division of Research, California, United States of America.
Elizabeth J. Mayer-Davis
Affiliation:
Center for Research in Nutrition and Health Disparities, University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health, Columbia, South Carolina, United States of America.
Neil Risch
Affiliation:
Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, California, United States of America.
*
*Address for correspondence: Erica P. Gunderson, Kaiser Permanente, Division of Research, 2000 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612, USA.

Abstract

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Twin designs, comparing correlations in monozygotic (MZ) versus dizygotic (DZ) twins, have an extensive history. One major confounder in such studies is that MZ twins may share postnatal environmental influences more so than do DZ twins. To avoid such confounding, twins separated at or soon after birth have been studied, but their scarcity often makes this approach impractical. Another method has been to measure the degree of contact twins have maintained over time, and adjust the observed correlations. Here, we remove confounding by utilizing the discrepancy between biological and self-perceived zygosity to separate environmental from genetic sources of twin similarity. We analyzed dietary patterns and physiologic traits in 350 female twin pairs of the 1988 Kaiser Permanente Twin Registry. Among twin pairs, 175 were MZ by self-report and genetic testing (MZC), 136 were DZ by self-report and genetic testing (DZC), 30 were MZ by genetic testing but not by self-report (MZW), and 9 were DZ by genetic testing but not by self-report (DZW) but were excluded due to small sample size. For healthy food patterns, MZC and MZW intraclass correlations were similar and greater than for DZC, yielding positive and significant heritability estimates. For unhealthy food patterns, the MZC, MZW and DZC correlations were similar with no significant heritability. For physiologic traits, MZC and MZW correlations were similar and higher than those for DZC, indicating significant heritability, except for insulin for which MZW and DZC were similar and which showed modest heritability. Twins of mistaken zygosity (TOMZ) provides a useful approach to robust determination of heritability.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2006