Heritability in genetic heart disease: The role of genetic background
Jansweijer, Joeri A.; Van Spaendonck-Zwarts, Karin Y.; Tanck, Michael W.T.; Peter Van Tintelen, J.; Christiaans, Imke; Van Der Smagt, Jasper; Vermeer, Alexa; Bos, J. Martijn; Moss, Arthur J.; Swan, Heikki; Priori, Sylvia; Rydberg, Annika; Tfelt-Hansen, Jacob; Ackerman, Michael; Olivotto, Iacopo; Charron, Philippe; Gimeno, Juan R.; Van Den Berg, Maarten; Wilde, Arthur; Pinto, Yigal M.
(2019) Open Heart, volume 6, issue 1
(Article)
Abstract
Background Mutations in genes encoding ion channels or sarcomeric proteins are an important cause of hereditary cardiac disease. However, the severity of the resultant disease varies considerably even among those with an identical mutation. Such clinical variation is often thought to be explained largely by differences in genetic background or
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modifier genes'. We aimed to test the prediction that identical genetic backgrounds result in largely similar clinical expression of a cardiac disease causing mutation, by studying the clinical expression of mutations causing cardiac disease in monozygotic twins. Methods We compared first available clinical information on 46 monozygotic twin pairs and 59 control pairs that had either a hereditary cardiomyopathy or channelopathy. Results Despite limited power of this study, we found significant heritability for corrected QT interval (QTc) in long QT syndrome (LQTS). We could not detect significant heritability for structural traits, but found a significant environmental effect on thickness of the interventricular septum in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Conclusions Our study confirms previously found robust heritability for electrical traits like QTc in LQTS, and adds information on low or lacking heritability for structural traits in heritable cardiomyopathies. This may steer the search for genetic modifiers in heritable cardiac disease.
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Keywords: Cardiomyopathy, Channelopathy, Genetics, Twin Study, Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine, Journal Article
ISSN: 2398-595X
Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
Note: Funding Information: 16Centre of Excellence in Research of Hereditary Disorders, Princess Al-Jawhara Al-Brahim, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Contributors Planning: JJ, KYvS-Z, AW, YMP. Conduct: JJ, KYvS-Z, MWTT, JPvT, IC, JvdS, AV, JMB, AJM, HS, SP, BT, PR, AR, UBD, JT-H, MA, IO, PC, JRG, EJWR, MvdB, AW, YMP. Reporting: JJ, KYvS-Z, MWTT, JPvT, MA, AW, YMP. Overall: JJ, KYvS-Z, YMP. Funding This work was supported by the Netherlands CardioVascular Research Initiative (Project PREDICT and ARENA): the Dutch Heart Foundation, Dutch Federation of University Medical Centres, the Netherlands Organisation for Health Research and Development, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences, the Windland Smith Rice Comprehensive Sudden Cardiac Death Program, the Finnish Foundation for Cardiovascular Research and the Novo Nordic Foundation. Publisher Copyright: © 2019 Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
(Peer reviewed)