An Epigenetic Difference In Twins Could Explain The Different Risk Of Breast Cancer
Date: 15.11.2012
Medical News Today 18 Oct 2012: Monozygotic twins have the same genome, that is, the same DNA molecule in both siblings. Despite being genetically identical, both twins may have different diseases at different times. This phenomenon is called "twin discordance". But how can people who have the same genetic sequence present different pathologies and at different ages? The explanation partly lies in the fact that the chemical signals added in the DNA to "switch off" or "switch on" genes can be different. These signals are known as epigenetic marks.
The research team led by Manel Esteller, director of the Cancer Epigenetics and Biology Program at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Professor of Genetics at the University of Barcelona and ICREA researcher, has identified an epigenetic change in the twin who will develop breast cancer but not in the healthy one. The finding has been advanced in the journal Carcinogenesis...
