Journal of Lipid Research, Vol 30, 387-394, Copyright © 1989 by Lipid Research, Inc.
Genetic analysis of total cholesterol and triglycerides in a pedigree of St. Thomas rabbits
TH Beaty, PO Kwiterovich, A Laville and B Lewis
Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205.
A pedigree consisting of 103 New Zealand White hyperlipidemic and normal
rabbits was used in a genetic analysis of total cholesterol and
triglyceride levels to test for Mendelian control of hyperlipidemia. The
founder male of this pedigree was identified through hypercholesterolemia
and evidence suggested vertical transmission of a hypercholesterolemic
phenotype in this pedigree, although a combined hyperlipidemia phenotype
(elevated cholesterol and triglycerides) also occurred in many descendents
of the original founders. Segregation analysis of quantitative measures of
total cholesterol and triglycerides in this pedigree was employed to test
hypotheses about Mendelian control in the presence of substantial
inbreeding. A simple Mendelian model was the best explanation for
triglycerides in these animals. This best fitting model was essentially
co-dominant with genotypic specific variances, where the heterozygote was
hypertriglyceridemic and the mutant homozygote showed even more extreme
values. The observed distribution of total cholesterol was also compatible
with a mixture of distinct genotypic distributions, but there was evidence
of non-Mendelian transmission in this pedigree. The observed
hypertriglyceridemia in these animals may reflect an abnormality of very
low density lipoprotein metabolism described previously. Further studies
will be required to elucidate the genetic control of hypercholesterolemia
and the associated combined hyperlipidemia in these rabbits.
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