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I thought I'd pass this along to folks. Twins may not be as similar
as we all thought:
>
>
>
> Feb 14,2008
> Identical twins not as identical as believed
>
> Contrary to our previous beliefs, identical twins are not
> genetically identical. This surprising finding is presented by
> American, Swedish, and Dutch scientists in a study being published
> today in the prestigious journal American Journal of Human Genetics.
> The finding may be of great significance for research on hereditary
> diseases and for the development of new diagnostic methods.
>
> How can it be that one identical twin might develop Parkinson’s
> disease, for instance, but not the other? Until now, the reasons
> have been sought in environmental factors. The current study
> complicates the picture.
>
> “Even though the genome is virtually identical in identical twins,
> our results show that there in fact are tiny differences and that
> they are relatively common. This could have a major impact on our
> understanding of genetically determined disorders,” says Jan
> Dumanksi, who co-directed the international study with his colleague
> Carl Bruder.
>
> “By uncovering these small genetic differences in identical twins
> where one of them is sick, we have a way of tying specific genetic
> changes to the genesis of common diseases,” says Carl Bruder.
>
> These researchers studied 19 pairs of identical twins and found that
> they indeed had the same DNA but nevertheless evinced differences in
> the number of copies of individual DNA segments. A segment might be
> missing, or more copies might exist in one twin. This could explain
> how one identical twin can be afflicted with a disorder while the
> other twin remains fully healthy, according to the scientists.
>
> Source: Uppsala University
>
>
Charles Carlson
Director of Life Sciences
exploratorium
3601 Lyon St.
San Francisco, CA 94123
[log in to unmask]
Tel: 415-561-0319
Fax: 415-561-0370
Charles Carlson
Director of Life Sciences
exploratorium
3601 Lyon St.
San Francisco, CA 94123
[log in to unmask]
Tel: 415-561-0319
Fax: 415-561-0370
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