Heritability estimates of blood pressure in genetically selected White Carneau pigeons

Seven White Carneau (WC) pigeon families of the high blood pressure (HBP) line with 51 offspring and six families of the low blood pressure (LBP) line with 57 offspring were used to estimate heritability of the blood pressure trait. Pigeons from the HBP line had significantly higher systolic blood pressures than the LBP line at ages 1 through 6 months. No significant effect of age on blood pressure was observed in either the HBP line or the LBP line. Systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressures were 155 +/- 6.4 and 122 +/- 5.7 and 139 +/- 6.1, respectively, for male parents and 163 +/- 9.3 and 125 +/- 7.1 and 143 +/- 8.3, respectively for female parents. The mid-parent mean averaged across pairs was 159 +/- 7.3 and 123 +/- 5.9, and 141 +/- 6.6, for systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressures, respectively. The average systolic, diastolic, and mean arterial pressures for offspring were 159 +/- 5.9, 132 +/- 5.5, and 147 +/- 5.6, respectively. Blood pressure measurements did not differ greatly between the offspring and the mid-parent mean, indicating that offspring inherit blood pressure levels similar to those of their parents. Mean heart rates were 189 +/- 12.2, 202 +/- 14.2 and 197 +/- 9.9 for the male parents, female parents and offspring, respectively. Heritability estimated by the regression of offspring on the mid-parent mean was 0.55 +/- 0.18, 0.69 +/- 0.19 and 0.61 +/- 0.18, 0.82 +/- 0.19 for systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressure and heart rate, respectively. The results suggest that genetic factors play a significant role in influencing blood pressure in WC pigeons.