This Article Full Text Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Comuzzie, A. G. Articles by MacCluer, J. W. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Comuzzie, A. G. Articles by MacCluer, J. W.

(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 1996;16:289-293.)
© 1996 American Heart Association, Inc.

Articles

Triiodothyronine Exerts a Major Pleiotropic Effect on Reverse Cholesterol Transport Phenotypes

Anthony G. Comuzzie; J. Blangero; Michael C. Mahaney; R. Mark Sharp; John L. VandeBerg; Michael P. Stern; Jean W. MacCluer

From the Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (A.G.C., J.B., M.C.M., R.M.S., J.L.V., J.W.M.), San Antonio, Tex, and the Division of Clinical Epidemiology, Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center (M.P.S.), San Antonio, Tex.

Correspondence to Dr Anthony Comuzzie, Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, PO Box 28147, San Antonio, TX 78228-0147. E-mail agcom@darwin.sfbr.org.

Abstract The thyroid hormone triiodothyronine (T₃) is known to be a potent mediator of APOA1 gene expression. With the use of multivariate quantitative genetic analysis, we have assessed the magnitude of shared effects of T₃ on plasma concentrations of apolipoprotein AI (apo AI) and three related phenotypes: HDL-C, apo AII, and LpAI (which is a concentration of apo AI that contains HDL particles). Maximum likelihood techniques were used to simultaneously estimate mean effects and variance components in large, extended Mexican American families living in San Antonio, Tex. We found that T₃ accounted for 16%, 23%, 21%, and 37% of the additive genetic variance in HDL-C, apo AI, apo AII, and LpAI, respectively, while explaining virtually none of the random environmental variance in these phenotypes. T₃ also has a pronounced effect on the pairwise genetic correlations among the four phenotypes: After the pleiotropic effects of T₃ concentrations are controlled for, the genetic correlations are reduced by 6% in the case of HDL-C and apo AI and 97% for apo AII and LpAI. Thus, genes that influence T₃ have a significant effect on HDL-C, apo AI, apo AII, and LpAI and also on the correlations among these phenotypes.

Key Words: thyroid hormones • HDL-C • apo AI • apo AII • LpAI

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. B. Samollow, G. Perez, C. M. Kammerer, D. Finegold, P. W. Zwartjes, L. M. Havill, A. G. Comuzzie, M. C. Mahaney, H. H. Goring, J. Blangero, et al. Genetic and Environmental Influences on Thyroid Hormone Variation in Mexican Americans J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., July 1, 2004; 89(7): 3276 - 3284. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. L. Rainwater, L. J. Martin, and A. G. Comuzzie Genetic Control of Coordinated Changes in HDL and LDL Size Phenotypes Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, November 1, 2001; 21(11): 1829 - 1833. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. G. Comuzzie, T. Funahashi, G. Sonnenberg, L. J. Martin, H. J. Jacob, A. E. K. Black, D. Maas, M. Takahashi, S. Kihara, S. Tanaka, et al. The Genetic Basis of Plasma Variation in Adiponectin, a Global Endophenotype for Obesity and the Metabolic Syndrome J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab., September 1, 2001; 86(9): 4321 - 4325. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. H. Taylor, Z. F. Stephan, R. E. Steele, and N. C. W. Wong Beneficial Effects of a Novel Thyromimetic on Lipoprotein Metabolism Mol. Pharmacol., September 1, 1997; 52(3): 542 - 547. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				J. Blangero, S. Williams-Blangero, M. C. Mahaney, A. G. Comuzzie, J. E. Hixson, P. B. Samollow, R. M. Sharp, M. P. Stern, and J. W. MacCluer Effects of a Major Gene for Apolipoprotein A-I Concentration Are Thyroid Hormone Dependent in Mexican Americans Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol, September 1, 1996; 16(9): 1177 - 1183. [Abstract] [Full Text]