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Chemical Senses Advance Access published online on July 10, 2007
Chemical Senses, doi:10.1093/chemse/bjm042
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© The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Twin Study of the Heritability of Recognition Thresholds for Sour and Salty Taste

Paul M. Wise1, Jonathan L. Hansen2,3, Danielle R. Reed1 and Paul A. S. Breslin1

1 Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA 2 Genetic Epidemiology Group, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Brisbane, Australia 3 School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia

Correspondence to be sent to: Paul M. Wise, Monell Chemical Senses Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. e-mail: pwise{at}monell.org


  Abstract

Seventy-four pairs of monozygotic (identical) twins and 35 pairs of dizygotic (fraternal) twins provided recognition thresholds (modified Harris–Kalmus test) for the sourness of citric acid and the saltiness of sodium chloride during the Twins Days Festival in Twinsburg, OH. Variance components (ACE) models were applied to the data: total variation = additive genetic (A) + common environment (C) + nonshared environment (E). The best-fit model of variation in recognition thresholds for sourness included an additive genetic factor, accounting for 53% of the variance, but no common environment component. This level of heritability, on par with that of sensitivity to the bitter compounds 6-n-propylthiouracil and phenylthiocarbamide, strongly suggests that genetic factors play a larger role than shared environment in determining individual differences in recognition thresholds for sourness. In contrast, the best-fit model for saltiness recognition included a common environment component, accounting for 22% of the variance in thresholds, but no additive component. This result suggests that environment plays a larger role than genetics in determining individual differences in recognition thresholds for saltiness.

Key words: genetics, NaCl, perception, pH, variability

Accepted 6 June 2007


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