Better explicating the strengths and shortcomings of these models will help refine projections and improve transparency in the years ahead.
Image credit: Witsawat.S.
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Edited by Stanley M. Gartler, University of Washington, Seattle, WA (received for review January 17, 2005)
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.
Footnotes
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↵ §§ To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: mesteller{at}cnio.es.
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This paper was submitted directly (Track II) to the PNAS office.
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Abbreviations: AIMS, amplification of intermethylated sites; ESD, Euclidean squared distance; 5mC, 5-methylcytosine; MZ, monozygotic; RLGS, restriction landmark genomic scanning.
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See Commentary on page 10413.
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Freely available online through the PNAS open access option.
- Copyright © 2005, The National Academy of Sciences
Epigenetic differences arise during the lifetime of monozygotic twins
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