Genetic Epidemiology, Translational Neurogenomics, Psychiatric Genetics and Statistical Genetics Laboratories investigate the pattern of disease in families, particularly identical and non-identical twins, to assess the relative importance of genes and environment in a variety of important health problems.
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PMID
34308812
TITLE
Examining the Vanishing Twin Hypothesis of Neural Tube Defects: Application of an Epigenetic Predictor for Monozygotic Twinning.
ABSTRACT
Strong associations between neural tube defects (NTDs) and monozygotic (MZ) twinning have long been noted, and it has been suggested that NTD cases who do not present as MZ twins may be the survivors of MZ twinning events. We have recently shown that MZ twins carry a strong, distinctive DNA methylation signature and have developed an algorithm based on genomewide DNA methylation array data that distinguishes MZ twins from dizygotic twins and other relatives at well above chance level. We have applied this algorithm to published methylation data from five fetal tissues (placental chorionic villi, kidney, spinal cord, brain and muscle) collected from spina bifida cases (n = 22), anencephalic cases (n = 15) and controls (n = 19). We see no difference in signature between cases and controls, providing no support for a common etiological role of MZ twinning in NTDs. The strong associations therefore continue to await elucidation.
DATE PUBLISHED
2021 Jun
HISTORY
PUBSTATUS PUBSTATUSDATE
pubmed 2021/07/27 06:00
medline 2021/07/27 06:00
entrez 2021/07/26 08:51
AUTHORS
NAME COLLECTIVENAME LASTNAME FORENAME INITIALS AFFILIATION AFFILIATIONINFO
van Dongen J van Dongen Jenny J Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Gordon SD Gordon Scott D SD Department of Genetics and Computational Biology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Odintsova VV Odintsova Veronika V VV Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
McRae AF McRae Allan F AF Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Robinson WP Robinson Wendy P WP Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Hall JG Hall Judith G JG Departments of Pediatrics and Medical Genetics, British Columbia Children's Hospital and University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Boomsma DI Boomsma Dorret I DI Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Martin NG Martin Nicholas G NG Department of Genetics and Computational Biology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
INVESTIGATORS
JOURNAL
VOLUME: 24
ISSUE: 3
TITLE: Twin research and human genetics : the official journal of the International Society for Twin Studies
ISOABBREVIATION: Twin Res Hum Genet
YEAR: 2021
MONTH: Jun
DAY:
MEDLINEDATE:
SEASON:
CITEDMEDIUM: Internet
ISSN: 1832-4274
ISSNTYPE: Print
MEDLINE JOURNAL
MEDLINETA: Twin Res Hum Genet
COUNTRY: England
ISSNLINKING: 1832-4274
NLMUNIQUEID: 101244624
PUBLICATION TYPE
PUBLICATIONTYPE TEXT
Journal Article
COMMENTS AND CORRECTIONS
GRANTS
GENERAL NOTE
KEYWORDS
KEYWORD
DNA methylation
Neural tube defects
anencephaly
epigenetic
monozygotic twins
spina bifida
MESH HEADINGS
SUPPLEMENTARY MESH
GENE SYMBOLS
CHEMICALS
OTHER ID's