articleGenome ResearchDec 22, 2009BRONZE OA

Changes in the pattern of DNA methylation associate with twin discordance in systemic lupus erythematosus

Institut d'Investigació Biomédica de Bellvitge · Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel · +14 more institutions

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Abstract

Monozygotic (MZ) twins are partially concordant for most complex diseases, including autoimmune disorders. Whereas phenotypic concordance can be used to study heritability, discordance suggests the role of non-genetic factors. In autoimmune diseases, environmentally driven epigenetic changes are thought to contribute to their etiology. Here we report the first high-throughput and candidate sequence analyses of DNA methylation to investigate discordance for autoimmune disease in twins. We used a cohort of MZ twins discordant for three diseases whose clinical signs often overlap: systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis, and dermatomyositis. Only MZ twins discordant for SLE featured widespread…

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