Twins and twinning

Hall, Judith G.

doi:10.1002/(sici)1096-8628(19960122)61:3<202::aid-ajmg2>3.0.co;2-w

Cited by 96 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…However, it has been suggested that epigenetic discordance in the first post-zygotic cell divisions could actually be a cause of splitting. 63,64 Our data cannot address this question but this possibility does not change our conclusion that MZ twins start their postnatal life as epigenetically non-identical. Combined with other studies, it would seem that twins continue to drift apart epigenetically throughout life.…”

Section: ©2 0 1 1 L a N D E S B I O S C I E N C E D O N O T D I S Tmentioning

confidence: 69%

Expression discordance of monozygotic twins at birth: Effect of intrauterine environment and a possible mechanism for fetal programming

Gordon¹,

Joo²,

Andronikos³

et al. 2011

Epigenetics

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Section: ©2 0 1 1 L a N D E S B I O S C I E N C E D O N O T D I S Tmentioning

confidence: 69%

Expression discordance of monozygotic twins at birth: Effect of intrauterine environment and a possible mechanism for fetal programming

Gordon¹,

Joo²,

Andronikos³

et al. 2011

Epigenetics

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“…37 Presence of anomaly in blood and not (generally) in buccal cells of unaffected twin Part 1: anomaly present in blood of both twins In all twins with shared placentation in leukocyte DNA, aberrant methylation was found in both the affected twin and the healthy twin. As 70% of all MZ monochorionic twins share blood through vascular connections, 19 it is generally postulated that the aberrant methylation found in the blood of the unaffected twin results from fetal circulation sharing through shared blood vessels in the placenta. This exchange includes the exchange of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) present in circulating blood.…”

Section: Excess Of Hil In Twinsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The frequency of dizygotic twinning is about 9 -20 per 1000 live births in Europe and the sex ratio approximates 1:1. 19 DZ twins have separate placentas and amniotic membranes, although occasionally the placentas can be fused and vascular connections may be present. Several monochorionic dizygotic twins have been reported, almost exclusively cases of assisted reproduction (ART).…”

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confidence: 99%

Lessons from BWS twins: complex maternal and paternal hypomethylation and a common source of haematopoietic stem cells

et al. 2009

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The Beckwith -Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is a growth disorder for which an increased frequency of monozygotic (MZ) twinning has been reported. With few exceptions, these twins are discordant for BWS and for females. Here, we describe the molecular and phenotypic analysis of 12 BWS twins and a triplet; seven twins are MZ, monochorionic and diamniotic, three twins are MZ, dichorionic and diamniotic and three twins are dizygotic. Twelve twins are female. In the majority of the twin pairs (11 of 13), the defect on chromosome 11p15 was hypomethylation of the paternal allele of DMR2. In 5 of 10 twins, there was additional hypomethylation of imprinted loci; in most cases, the loci affected were maternally methylated, but in two cases, hypomethylation of the paternally methylated DLK1 and H19 DMRs was detected, a novel finding in BWS. In buccal swabs of the MZ twins who share a placenta, the defect was present only in the affected twin; comparable hypomethylation in lymphocytes was detected in both the twins. The level of hypomethylation reached levels below 25%. The exchange of blood cells through vascular connections cannot fully explain the degree of hypomethylation found in the blood cell of the non-affected twin. We propose an additional mechanism through which sharing of aberrant methylation patterns in discordant twins, limited to blood cells, might occur. In a BWS-discordant MZ triplet, an intermediate level of demethylation was found in one of the non-affected sibs; this child showed mild signs of BWS. This finding supports the theory that a methylation error proceeds and possibly triggers the twinning process.

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“…It has also been estimated that although multiple pregnancies comprise 12% of all pregnancies, only 2% survive as twins to term (Hall, 1996a) as many are lost early in pregnancy as miscarriages or as the vanishing twin syndrome. It has been suggested that postconceptual nondisjunction might lead to chromosome imbalance, disorganisation of embryonic growth, fatal fetal malformation, and vascular compromise (Hall, 1996b).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%