IgA1 Glycosylation Is Heritable in Healthy Twins.

Authors :: Lomax-Browne HJ
Visconti A
Pusey CD
Cook HT
Spector TD
Pickering MC
Falchi M
Source :: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN [J Am Soc Nephrol] 2017 Jan; Vol. 28 (1), pp. 64-68. Date of Electronic Publication: 2016 Jun 16.
Publication Year :: 2017
Abstract: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common form of primary GN and an important cause of kidney failure. Characteristically, patients with IgAN have increased serum levels of undergalactosylated IgA1 (gd-IgA1). To assess the degree to which serum gd-IgA1 levels are genetically determined in healthy individuals, we determined serum IgA and gd-IgA1 levels by ELISA in a sample of 148 healthy female twins, including 27 monozygotic and 47 dizygotic pairs. Using the classic twin model, we found the heritability of serum gd-IgA1 and IgA levels to be 80% (95% confidence interval, 66% to 89%) and 46% (95% confidence interval, 15% to 69%), respectively. These data indicate that serum gd-IgA1 levels are highly heritable. Elucidating the genetic basis of this heritability will be important in understanding the pathogenesis of IgAN.<br /> (Copyright © 2016 by the American Society of Nephrology.)