Epigenetics and twins: three variations on the theme
Epigenetics and twins: three variations on the theme
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DOI：
10.1016/j.tig.2006.04.010
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发表时间：
2006-07-01
影响因子：
11.4
通讯作者：
Petronis, Arturas
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Petronis, Arturas
双胞胎研究在遗传力评估中起着关键作用，遗传力是一种基于群体的对表型变异的遗传贡献的估计。这些研究揭示了大多数正常和疾病表型在某种程度上是可遗传的。最近，研究兴趣已从现象学遗传力转移到性状特异性基因的鉴定。然而，双胞胎研究的时代还没有结束：最近的表观遗传学和全球基因表达研究表明，基于双胞胎的研究中最有趣的发现还在后头。表观遗传学对表型结果影响的日益认识意味着可以探索遗传相同生物体表型差异背后的分子机制。对表观遗传双胞胎差异和相似性的分析可能会挑战复杂生物学的基本原理，主要是复杂表型是DNA序列变异与环境相互作用的结果。
Twin studies have had a key role in the evaluation of heritability, a population-based estimate of the genetic contribution to phenotypic variation. These studies have led to the revelation that most normal and disease phenotypes are to some extent heritable. Recently, interest has shifted from phenomenological heritability to the identification of trait-specific genes. The era of twin studies, however, is not over: recent epigenetic and global gene expression studies suggest that the most interesting findings in twin-based research are still to come. The increasing realization of the influence of epigenetics in phenotypic outcomes means that the molecular mechanisms behind phenotypic differences in genetically identical organisms can be explored. Analyses of epigenetic twin differences and similarities might yet challenge the fundamental principles of complex biology, primarily the dogma that complex phenotypes result from DNA sequence variants interacting with the environment.