Scientists talked about the influence of parents' genes on children's health
The genes of parents, even if not inherited by a child, leave a measurable mark on his life — an international team led by scientists from the Institute of Science and Technology of Austria (ISTA) and the Norwegian Institute of Public Health has developed a method that for the first time made it possible to separate direct and indirect genetic effects. This was reported on June 9 in the journal Medical Xpress.
"Indirect genetic effects and parental descent effects are different phenomena that can explain how genes influence traits beyond the standard direct DNA model. However, no one has ever been able to separate them to identify individual contributions and interactions," explained ISTA Professor Matthew Robinson, head of the study.
The team analyzed the genetic and phenotypic data of more than 30,000 families — mother, father and child — from two large biobanks: the Norwegian cohort "Mother, Father and Child" and the Estonian Biobank. Three characteristics of children were evaluated: height, body mass index, and results of national school tests at the age of about 10 years.
The study confirmed that the child's own DNA has the greatest influence on all three traits. However, the indirect effects of parental genes — through the environment they create — are collectively comparable in importance to direct inheritance. At the same time, the same genetic loci were involved in both direct and indirect effects.
"This suggests that the same regions of the genome form the traits of a child both through inherited genes and through the environment created by parents," said Ilse Kretschmer, first author and ISTA postdoctoral researcher.
Environmental factors proved to be particularly important for BMI and school performance, which means that health and education policies should take into account the family environment. The authors also pointed out that only loci with a direct genetic effect — usually stronger — can be considered as promising targets for personalized medicine drugs.
In November, experts said that hereditary fructose intolerance is a rare genetic disease in which the body is unable to process the sugar fructose. Even small portions of fruits, vegetables, or sweets can cause serious health problems.
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