Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Polygenic Traits01:18

Polygenic Traits

When more than one gene is responsible for a given phenotype, the trait is considered polygenic. Human height is a polygenic trait. Studies have uncovered hundreds of loci that influence height, and there are believed to be many more. Due to the high number of genes involved, as well as environmental and nutritional factors, height varies significantly within a given population. The distribution of height forms a bell-shaped curve, with relatively few individuals in the population at the...
Law of Segregation01:49

Law of Segregation

When crossing pea plants, Mendel noticed that one of the parental traits would sometimes disappear in the first generation of offspring, called the F1 generation, and could reappear in the next generation (F2). He concluded that one of the traits must be dominant over the other, thereby causing masking of one trait in the F1 generation. When he crossed the F1 plants, he found that 75% of the offspring in the F2 generation had the dominant phenotype, while 25% had the recessive phenotype.
Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance02:30

Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance

Diploid organisms inherit genetic material through chromosomes from both parents. Copies of the same gene are known as alleles. In most cases, both alleles are simultaneously expressed and allow various cellular processes to function optimally. If one of the alleles is missing or mutated, the expression of the other allele can compensate; however, this is not true for all genes.
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
Polygenic Traits01:18

Polygenic Traits

When more than one gene is responsible for a given phenotype, the trait is considered polygenic. Human height is a polygenic trait. Studies have uncovered hundreds of loci that influence height, and there are believed to be many more. Due to the high number of genes involved, as well as environmental and nutritional factors, height varies significantly within a given population. The distribution of height forms a bell-shaped curve, with relatively few individuals in the population at the...
Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs01:23

Behavioral Genetics and Its Designs

Behavior genetics explores how genetic inheritance influences human behavior. It focuses on how genes, passed from parents to offspring, contribute to the development of behavioral traits and tendencies. This branch of genetics seeks to understand the complex interplay between inherited genetic factors and environmental influences in shaping our behaviors.
The primary methodologies used in behavior genetics include family studies, twin studies, and adoption studies, each providing unique...
Heritability01:06

Heritability

Heritability is a statistical concept that measures the degree to which genetic differences among individuals contribute to trait variations within a population. It is a fundamental idea in genetics, often prone to misinterpretation. Heritability is expressed as a percentage, reflecting the proportion of variation in a specific trait across a population that can be linked to genetic differences. However, it's important to understand that heritability does not determine how "genetic" a trait is,...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The impact of war on the development and progression of arterial hypertension and cardiovascular disease: protocol of a prospective study among Ukrainian female refugees.

Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine·2024
Same author

The phenomenon of HbA1c stability and the risk of hypoglycemia in long-standing type 1 diabetes.

Diabetes research and clinical practice·2019
Same author

Wavelet transform analysis to assess oscillations in pial artery pulsation at the human cardiac frequency.

Microvascular research·2015
Same author

CrossTalk opposing view: Which technique for controlling resistant hypertension? Carotid chemoreceptor denervation/modulation.

The Journal of physiology·2014
Same author

Rebuttal from L. E. K. Ratcliffe, W. Pijacka, F. D. McBryde, A. P. Abdala, D. J. Moraes, P. A. Sobotka, E. C. Hart, K. Narkiewicz, A. K. Nightingale and J. F. R. Paton.

The Journal of physiology·2014
Same author

Clinical characteristics of patients with resistant hypertension: the RESIST-POL study.

Journal of human hypertension·2013
Same journal

Explaining blood pressure reduction heterogeneity in sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitor trials: a meta-analysis stratified by patient characteristics.

Journal of hypertension·2026
Same journal

Erratum: Feasibility of the extended, 48-h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in hemodialysis patients: a multicenter study.

Journal of hypertension·2026
Same journal

Erratum: Neurofibromatosis 2 alleviates ferroptosis and fibrosis in the aortas of spontaneously hypertensive rats through the Yes-associated protein pathway.

Journal of hypertension·2026
Same journal

Reply to comment: Limited public understanding of the risk factors and complications of hypertension.

Journal of hypertension·2026
Same journal

What magnesium depletion score can tell us about arterial stiffness.

Journal of hypertension·2026
Same journal

Nephron deficit as susceptibility, not determinism.

Journal of hypertension·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Detecting Establishment of Shared Blood Supply in Parabiotic Mice by Caudal Vein Glucose Injection
06:27

Detecting Establishment of Shared Blood Supply in Parabiotic Mice by Caudal Vein Glucose Injection

Published on: February 6, 2020

Heritability of plasma leptin levels: a twin study.

K Narkiewicz1, R Szczech, M Winnicki

  • 1Institute of Internal Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Poland. knark@amg.gda.pl

Journal of Hypertension
|April 1, 1999
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Genetic factors significantly influence plasma leptin levels. These genetic determinants account for a substantial portion of the variance in human leptin, impacting body mass and fat distribution.

More Related Videos

Sample Preparation to Bioinformatics Analysis of DNA Methylation: Association Strategy for Obesity and Related Trait Studies
14:56

Sample Preparation to Bioinformatics Analysis of DNA Methylation: Association Strategy for Obesity and Related Trait Studies

Published on: May 6, 2022

Stable Isotope In-Vivo Labeling for Mass-Spectrometry Identification of Paternal Metabolites Transferred from Sperm to Oocyte During Fertilization
05:55

Stable Isotope In-Vivo Labeling for Mass-Spectrometry Identification of Paternal Metabolites Transferred from Sperm to Oocyte During Fertilization

Published on: June 17, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Detecting Establishment of Shared Blood Supply in Parabiotic Mice by Caudal Vein Glucose Injection
06:27

Detecting Establishment of Shared Blood Supply in Parabiotic Mice by Caudal Vein Glucose Injection

Published on: February 6, 2020

Sample Preparation to Bioinformatics Analysis of DNA Methylation: Association Strategy for Obesity and Related Trait Studies
14:56

Sample Preparation to Bioinformatics Analysis of DNA Methylation: Association Strategy for Obesity and Related Trait Studies

Published on: May 6, 2022

Stable Isotope In-Vivo Labeling for Mass-Spectrometry Identification of Paternal Metabolites Transferred from Sperm to Oocyte During Fertilization
05:55

Stable Isotope In-Vivo Labeling for Mass-Spectrometry Identification of Paternal Metabolites Transferred from Sperm to Oocyte During Fertilization

Published on: June 17, 2025

Area of Science:

  • Human genetics
  • Endocrinology
  • Obesity research

Background:

  • Leptin is a key hormone regulating appetite and energy expenditure.
  • Understanding the determinants of plasma leptin levels is crucial for metabolic research.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the extent to which genetic factors influence plasma leptin levels.
  • To assess the heritability of plasma leptin and its relationship with body composition.

Main Methods:

  • Studied monozygotic and dizygotic female twins to estimate heritability.
  • Measured plasma leptin, body mass index (BMI), and body fat distribution.
  • Employed variance-based and maximum likelihood-based genetic analysis methods.

Main Results:

  • Plasma leptin levels strongly correlated with BMI and body fat distribution.
  • Significant heritability estimates were found for plasma leptin levels and BMI.
  • Heritability of plasma leptin was estimated at 73%, reduced to 55% after adjusting for BMI.

Conclusions:

  • Genetic factors are significant determinants of plasma leptin levels in humans.
  • Approximately half of the variation in plasma leptin levels can be attributed to genetic influences.