Heritability of plasma neopterin levels in the Old Order Amish

Abstract

BackgroundWe examined the heritability of neopterin, a biomarker for cell-mediated immunity and oxidative stress, and potentially for psychiatric disorders, in the Old Order Amish. MethodsPlasma neopterin levels were determined in 2015 Old Order Amish adults. Quantitative genetic procedures were used to estimate heritability of neopterin. ResultsHeritability of log-neopterin was estimated at 0.07 after adjusting for age, gender, and household (p=0.03). The shared household effect was 0.06 (p<0.02). ConclusionsWe found a low heritability of neopterin and small household effect, suggesting that non-household environmental factors are more important determinants of variance of neopterin levels in the Amish.