Is your health being spoiled by your roommate’s genes? According to recent research on mice, your roommate’s genes can affect your health in multiple ways.
‘A roommate goes to the doctor’
In the latest issue of PLOSGenetics, I came across a remarkable article. Researchers from the European Bioinformatics Institute in Hinxton published the results of their study on the mutual influence of the genes of mice living together in a cage [1]. They discovered that the genes of a mouse’s ‘cage mates’ can affect various aspects of that mouse’s health. More importantly, some of these aspects were thought to be influenced only by the mouse’s own genes. Things such as how fast they grow and how well the immune system functions.
According to the researchers, this means that when assessing someone’s health, social partners should also be considered. So, bring your partner to the general practitioner?
Gene-mate
In their research, the researchers identified 40 traits in a mouse that can be influenced by the genetic profile of another mouse with which it shares a cage. Aspects such as anxiety levels, immune system function, body weight, and the speed at which wounds heal could be determined by about 10% by the genetic profile of the cage mate. In the case of traits of the immune system, this was even determined by 30% by the genes of the other mouse.
Genes –> Behavior –> Health
It is important to note that there is no bluetooth connection between your genes and those of your roommates. The study addresses a relatively new phenomenon being studied, ‘indirect genetic effects’. However, the other term used makes it clearer what we’re talking about: ‘social effects’.
The example mentioned by the researchers is that of two partners, one of whom is a morning person while the other is a night owl, preferring to go to bed late and wake up late. Not very pleasant when your own biological clock dictates your sleeping time. So, it’s likely that one will go to sleep later than desired and the other earlier. This can then affect the health of both because the behavior is influenced in a way that conflicts with (a certain aspect of) their own genetic profile.
That the behavior of roommates can have an effect is not very surprising. This research just provides an excuse for your roommate’s annoying behavior. Blame it on the genes
