Epigenetic differences arise during the lifetime of monozygotic twins
- PMID: 16009939
- PMCID: PMC1174919
- DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0500398102
Epigenetic differences arise during the lifetime of monozygotic twins
Abstract
Monozygous twins share a common genotype. However, most monozygotic twin pairs are not identical; several types of phenotypic discordance may be observed, such as differences in susceptibilities to disease and a wide range of anthropomorphic features. There are several possible explanations for these observations, but one is the existence of epigenetic differences. To address this issue, we examined the global and locus-specific differences in DNA methylation and histone acetylation of a large cohort of monozygotic twins. We found that, although twins are epigenetically indistinguishable during the early years of life, older monozygous twins exhibited remarkable differences in their overall content and genomic distribution of 5-methylcytosine DNA and histone acetylation, affecting their gene-expression portrait. These findings indicate how an appreciation of epigenetics is missing from our understanding of how different phenotypes can be originated from the same genotype.
Figures
Comment in
-
Epigenetic drift in aging identical twins.Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Jul 26;102(30):10413-4. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0504743102. Epub 2005 Jul 18. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005. PMID: 16027353 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
Similar articles
-
The epigenetic mechanism for discordance of autoimmunity in monozygotic twins.J Autoimmun. 2017 Sep;83:43-50. doi: 10.1016/j.jaut.2017.04.003. Epub 2017 Apr 12. J Autoimmun. 2017. PMID: 28412046 Review.
-
Not really identical: epigenetic differences in monozygotic twins and implications for twin studies in psychiatry.Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet. 2009 May 15;151C(2):136-41. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.c.30206. Am J Med Genet C Semin Med Genet. 2009. PMID: 19378334 Review.
-
Differences of DNA methylation profiles between monozygotic twins' blood samples.Mol Biol Rep. 2013 Sep;40(9):5275-80. doi: 10.1007/s11033-013-2627-y. Epub 2013 May 7. Mol Biol Rep. 2013. PMID: 23649773
-
[Epigenetics and its new progress in monozygotic twins].Fa Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2009 Jun;25(3):212-6. Fa Yi Xue Za Zhi. 2009. PMID: 19697783 Review. Chinese.
-
Monozygotic twins exhibit numerous epigenetic differences: clues to twin discordance?Schizophr Bull. 2003;29(1):169-78. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.schbul.a006988. Schizophr Bull. 2003. PMID: 12908672
Cited by
-
Multiomic biomarkers after cardiac arrest.Intensive Care Med Exp. 2024 Sep 27;12(1):83. doi: 10.1186/s40635-024-00675-y. Intensive Care Med Exp. 2024. PMID: 39331333 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Exploring pathogenesis, prevalence, and genetic associations in Chiari malformation type 1: a contemporary perspective.Asian Biomed (Res Rev News). 2024 Sep 20;18(4):148-156. doi: 10.2478/abm-2024-0021. eCollection 2024 Aug. Asian Biomed (Res Rev News). 2024. PMID: 39309470 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Effects of Cohabitation on Neurodevelopmental Outcomes in Rats Discordant for Neonatal Exposure to Sevoflurane.Biol Psychiatry Glob Open Sci. 2024 Jul 15;4(6):100359. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsgos.2024.100359. eCollection 2024 Nov. Biol Psychiatry Glob Open Sci. 2024. PMID: 39282654 Free PMC article.
-
Prenatal cannabis exposure is associated with alterations in offspring DNA methylation at genes involved in neurodevelopment, across the life course.Mol Psychiatry. 2024 Sep 14. doi: 10.1038/s41380-024-02752-w. Online ahead of print. Mol Psychiatry. 2024. PMID: 39277688
-
Epigenetics, Microbiome and Personalized Medicine: Focus on Kidney Disease.Int J Mol Sci. 2024 Aug 6;25(16):8592. doi: 10.3390/ijms25168592. Int J Mol Sci. 2024. PMID: 39201279 Free PMC article. Review.
References
-
- Hall, J. G. & Lopez-Rangel, E. (1966) in Twins and Twinning, eds. Emery, A. E. H. & Rimoin, D. L. (Churchill Livingstone, New York), pp. 395-404.
-
- Cardno, A. G., Rijsdijk, F. V., Sham, P. C., Murray, R. M. & McGuffin, P. (2002) Am. J. Psychiatry 159, 539-545. - PubMed
-
- Machin, G. A. (1996) Am. J. Med. Genet. 61, 216-228. - PubMed
-
- Rideout, W. M., III, Eggan, K. & Jaenisch, R. (2001) Science 293, 1093-1098. - PubMed
-
- Becker, A., Busjahn, A., Faulhaber, H. D., Bahring, S., Robertson, J., Schuster H. & Luft, F. C. (1997) J. Reprod. Med. 42, 260-266. - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
Substances
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources