Epigenetic differences in cortical neurons from a pair of monozygotic twins discordant for Alzheimer's disease

Diego Mastroeni, Ann McKee, Andrew Grover, Joseph Rogers, Paul D. Coleman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

249 Scopus citations

Abstract

DNA methylation [1,2] is capable of modulating coordinate expression of large numbers of genes across many different pathways, and may therefore warrant investigation for their potential role between genes and disease phenotype. In a rare set of monozygotic twins discordant for Alzheimer's disease (AD), significantly reduced levels of DNA methylation were observed in temporal neocortex neuronal nuclei of the AD twin. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that epigenetic mechanisms may mediate at the molecular level the effects of life events on AD risk, and provide, for the first time, a potential explanation for AD discordance despite genetic similarities.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere6617
JournalPloS one
Volume4
Issue number8
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 12 2009
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences
  • General

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