J Korean Med Sci.  2005 Jun;20(3):355-360. 10.3346/jkms.2005.20.3.355.

Genetic and Environmental Influences on Birthweight in a Sample of Korean Twins

• Hur YM

• KMID: 1778489
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2005.20.3.355

Abstract

This study is the first report of genetic and environmental influences on birthweight using Korean twins. The sample consisted of 255 monozygotic (MZ) and 178 dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs drawn from the Seoul Twin Family Study. Intraclass twin correlations were computed for the twins' birthweights obtained from parents (typically mothers) of the twins. To estimate genetic and shared and nonshared environmental influences on birthweight, standard univariate model-fitting analyses were performed using a software, Mx. For each gender, MZ twin correlations were higher than DZ twin correlations, suggesting existence of genetic influences on birthweight; however, DZ twin correlations were higher than half the MZ twin correlations, indicating that shared environmental factors are also important. For each zygosity, twin correlations were not significantly different between males and females, implicating that genes and environments that cause individual differences in birthweight may not vary between males and females. Model-fitting analyses based on the data pooled across gender yielded estimates of 17% for genetic, 60% for shared environmental, and 23% for nonshared environmental influences on birthweight.

Keyword

Birth Weight; Twins, Monozygotic; Twins; Dizygotic; Twin Studies; Genetics; Intrauterine; Environment; Structural Equation Model; Models, Statistical; Gene

MeSH Terms

Adult
*Birth Weight
Environment
Female
Humans
Korea
Male
Models, Genetic
Models, Statistical
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Twins, Dizygotic/*genetics/physiology
Twins, Monozygotic/*genetics/physiology

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Standard univariate model for birthweight. VP1, the phenotypic variance of birthweight for the first twins; VP2, the phenotypic variance of birthweight for the second twins; VA1, genetic variance for the first twins; VA2, genetic variance for the second twins; Vc1, shared environmental variance for the first twins; Vc2, shared environmental variance for the second twins; VE1, nonshared environmental variance for the first twins; VE2, nonshared environmental variance for the second twins. MZ, monozygotic twins; DZ, dizygotic twins.

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