GENETIC-REGULATION OF PLASMA AND RED-BLOOD-CELL MAGNESIUM CONCENTRATION IN MAN .2. SEGREGATION ANALYSIS

  • 1 January 1983
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 35  (5) , 938-950
Abstract
Genetic factors play a major role in the familial transmission of plasma (P) and red blood cell (RBC) Mg concentrations. Commingling analysis based on a random sample of unrelated individuals, and complex segregation analysis of a random sample of nuclear families are reported. For RBC Mg, there is evidence for a mixture of 2 distributions, but not for 3. For P Mg, there is no evidence for commingling. Complex segregation analysis under a mixed model yielded significant support for a major gene effect on RBC Mg, but not on P Mg. Parameter estimates indicated that the data are compatible with a rather common major gene for elevated RBC Mg, roughly 5% of the population being homozygotes for this gene, that the nonfamilial factors account for a small fraction of the total variance, and that the overlap of distributions of homozygotes is not large.

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