Epigenetic Effects in Monozygotic Twins

Monozygotic (identical) twins develop from a single egg fertilized by a single sperm that divides and gives rise to two zygotes. Thus, monozygotic twins are genetically identical, in the sense that they possess identical DNA sequences, but they often differ somewhat in appearance, health, and behavior. The nature of these differences in the phenotypes of identical twins is not well understood, but recent evidence suggests that at least some of these differences may be due to epigenetic changes. In one study, Mario Fraga, at the Spanish National Cancer Center, and his colleagues examined 80 pairs of identical twins and compared the degree and location of their DNA methylation and histone acetylation. They found that DNA methylation and histone acetylation in identical twin pairs were similar early in life, but that older twin pairs had remarkable differences in their overall content and distribution of DNA methylation and histone acetylation. Furthermore, these differences affected gene expression in the twins. This research suggests that identical twins do differ epigenetically and that phenotypic differences between them may be caused by differential gene expression.