Heritability of plasma neopterin levels in the Old Order Amish

Abstract Background We examined the heritability of neopterin, a biomarker for cell-mediated immunity and oxidative stress, and potentially for psychiatric disorders, in the Old Order Amish. Methods Plasma neopterin levels were determined in 2015 Old Order Amish adults. Quantitative genetic procedures were used to estimate heritability of neopterin. Results Heritability of log-neopterin was estimated at 0.07 after adjusting for age, gender, and household ( p  = 0.03). The shared household effect was 0.06 ( p Conclusions We found a low heritability of neopterin and small household effect, suggesting that non-household environmental factors are more important determinants of variance of neopterin levels in the Amish.