Lens fluorescence and skin fluorescence in the Copenhagen Twin Cohort Eye Study: Covariates and heritability

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Jakob Bjerager
  • Sami Dabbah
  • Mohamed Belmouhand
  • Simon P. Rothenbuehler
  • Birgit Sander
  • Larsen, Michael

Lens and skin fluorescence are related to the systemic accumulation of advanced glycation end products, which is accelerated in diabetes. We have examined lens fluorescence and skin fluorescence in healthy adult twins. The study enrolled twins aged median 59 years from a national population-based registry. Diabetic individuals were excluded from analysis. The interrelatedness between fluorescence parameters and relations between fluorescence and age, current HbA1c and smoking pack years were examined using correlation tests and mixed model linear regression analyses. Broad-sense heritability was analyzed and compared for lens fluorescence, skin fluorescence and HbA1c. Lens fluorescence and skin fluorescence were crudely interrelated (R = 0.38). In linear regression analyses, age explained a larger fraction of the variance in lens fluorescence (R2 = 32%) than in skin fluorescence (R2 = 20%), whereas HbA1c explained smaller variance fractions (R2 = 3% and 8%, respectively) followed by smoking pack years (4% and 3%, respectively). In multivariate analyses, age, HbA1c and smoking pack years combined explained more of the variance in lens fluorescence (R2 = 35%) than in skin fluorescence (R2 = 21%), but the influence of HbA1c on lens fluorescence was not statistically significant (p = .2). Age-adjusted broad-sense heritability was 85% for lens fluorescence, 53% for skin fluorescence and 71% for HbA1c in best fitting heritability models. Both fluorescence parameters increased with age, current glycemia and cumulative smoking. Lens fluorescence was found to be a predominantly heritable trait, whereas skin fluorescence was more influenced by environmental factors and closer related to current glycemia. The results suggest that skin fluorophores have a faster turnover than lens fluorophores.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere0256975
JournalPLoS ONE
Volume16
Issue number9 September
ISSN1932-6203
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Bjerager et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

ID: 280128748