BACKGROUND: The occurrence of a congenital heart defect has long been thought to have a multifactorial basis, but the evidence is indirect. Complex trait analysis could provide a more nuanced understanding of congenital heart disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: We assessed the role of genetic and environmental factors on the incidence of ventricular septal defects (VSDs) caused by a heterozygous Nkx2-5 knockout mutation. We phenotyped >3100 hearts from a second-generation intercross of the inbred mouse strains C57BL/6 and FVB/N. Genetic linkage analysis mapped loci with lod scores of 5 to 7 on chromosomes 6, 8, and 10 that influence the susceptibility to membranous VSDs in Nkx2-5(+/-) animals. The chromosome 6 locus overlaps one for muscular VSD susceptibility. Multiple logistic regression analysis for environmental variables revealed that maternal age is correlated with the risk of membranous and muscular VSD in Nkx2-5(+/-) but not wild-type animals. The maternal age effect is unrelated to aneuploidy or a genetic polymorphism in the affected individuals. The risk of a VSD is not only complex but dynamic. Whereas the effect of genetic modifiers on risk remains constant, the effect of maternal aging increases over time. CONCLUSIONS: Enumerable factors contribute to the presentation of a congenital heart defect. The factors that modify rather than cause congenital heart disease substantially affect risk in predisposed individuals. Their characterization in a mouse model offers the potential to narrow the search space in human studies and to develop alternative strategies for prevention.
BACKGROUND: The occurrence of a congenital heart defect has long been thought to have a multifactorial basis, but the evidence is indirect. Complex trait analysis could provide a more nuanced understanding of congenital heart disease. METHODS AND RESULTS: We assessed the role of genetic and environmental factors on the incidence of ventricular septal defects (VSDs) caused by a heterozygous Nkx2-5 knockout mutation. We phenotyped >3100 hearts from a second-generation intercross of the inbred mouse strains C57BL/6 and FVB/N. Genetic linkage analysis mapped loci with lod scores of 5 to 7 on chromosomes 6, 8, and 10 that influence the susceptibility to membranous VSDs in Nkx2-5(+/-) animals. The chromosome 6 locus overlaps one for muscular VSD susceptibility. Multiple logistic regression analysis for environmental variables revealed that maternal age is correlated with the risk of membranous and muscular VSD in Nkx2-5(+/-) but not wild-type animals. The maternal age effect is unrelated to aneuploidy or a genetic polymorphism in the affected individuals. The risk of a VSD is not only complex but dynamic. Whereas the effect of genetic modifiers on risk remains constant, the effect of maternal aging increases over time. CONCLUSIONS: Enumerable factors contribute to the presentation of a congenital heart defect. The factors that modify rather than cause congenital heart disease substantially affect risk in predisposed individuals. Their characterization in a mouse model offers the potential to narrow the search space in human studies and to develop alternative strategies for prevention.
Authors: D W Benson; G M Silberbach; A Kavanaugh-McHugh; C Cottrill; Y Zhang; S Riggs; O Smalls; M C Johnson; M S Watson; J G Seidman; C E Seidman; J Plowden; J D Kugler Journal: J Clin Invest Date: 1999-12 Impact factor: 14.808
Authors: J J Schott; D W Benson; C T Basson; W Pease; G M Silberbach; J P Moak; B J Maron; C E Seidman; J G Seidman Journal: Science Date: 1998-07-03 Impact factor: 47.728
Authors: Mary Ella Pierpont; Martina Brueckner; Wendy K Chung; Vidu Garg; Ronald V Lacro; Amy L McGuire; Seema Mital; James R Priest; William T Pu; Amy Roberts; Stephanie M Ware; Bruce D Gelb; Mark W Russell Journal: Circulation Date: 2018-11-20 Impact factor: 29.690
Authors: Parvin Shahrestani; Molly K Burke; Ryan Birse; James N Kezos; Karen Ocorr; Laurence D Mueller; Michael R Rose; Rolf Bodmer Journal: Physiol Biochem Zool Date: 2016-11-21 Impact factor: 2.247
Authors: Patrick Y Jay; Ehiole Akhirome; Rachel A Magnan; M Rebecca Zhang; Lillian Kang; Yidan Qin; Nelson Ugwu; Suk Dev Regmi; Julie M Nogee; James M Cheverud Journal: Mol Cell Endocrinol Date: 2016-08-20 Impact factor: 4.102