Disease-associated epigenetic changes in monozygotic twins discordant for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

ABSTRACT: Studies of the major psychoses, schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD), have traditionally focused on genetic and environmental risk factors, although more recent work has highlighted an additional role for epigenetic processes in mediating susceptibility. Since monozygotic (MZ) twins share a common DNA sequence, their study represents an ideal design for investigating the contribution of epigenetic factors to disease etiology. We performed a genome-wide analysis of DNA methylation on peripheral blood DNA samples obtained from a unique sample of MZ twin pairs discordant for major psychosis. Numerous loci demonstrated disease-associated DNA methylation differences between twins discordant for SZ and BD individually, and together as a combined major psychosis group. Pathway analysis of

SUBMITTER: Dempster EL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3221539 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature