Equivalent DNA methylation variation between monozygotic co-twins and unrelated individuals reveals universal epigenetic inter-individual dissimilarity.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Although the genomes of monozygotic twins are practically identical, their methylomes may evolve divergently throughout their lifetime as a consequence of factors such as the environment or aging. Particularly for young and healthy monozygotic twins, DNA methylation divergence, if any, may be restricted to stochastic processes occurring post-twinning during embryonic development and early life. However, to what extent such stochastic mechanisms can systematically provide a stable source of inter-individual epigenetic variation remains uncertain until now.

Results

We enriched for inter-individual stochastic variation by using an equivalence testing-based statistical approach on whole blood methylation microarray data from healthy adolescent monozygotic twins. As a

SUBMITTER: Planterose Jimenez B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7786996 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature