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DNA Methylation Variability at Growth‐Related Imprints Does not Contribute to Overweight in Monozygotic Twins Discordant for BMI
Author(s) -
Souren Nicole Y.P.,
Tierling Sascha,
Fryns JeanPierre,
Derom Catherine,
Walter Jörn,
Zeegers Maurice P.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1038/oby.2010.353
Subject(s) - differentially methylated regions , dna methylation , gnas complex locus , methylation , genomic imprinting , overweight , genetics , epigenetics , monozygotic twin , methylated dna immunoprecipitation , biology , bisulfite sequencing , medicine , body mass index , endocrinology , gene , gene expression
Defective genomic imprinting is often associated with syndromes that include abnormal growth as a clinical phenotype. However, whether differential methylation at imprinted loci also contributes to nonsyndromic abnormal body weight regulation is yet unknown. In this study, we investigated a potential contribution of aberrant DNA methylation at nine differentially methylated regions (DMRs) to the development of nonsyndromic overweight. Sixteen monozygotic (MZ) twins discordant for BMI (BMI difference ranging from 2.9–9.5 kg/m 2 ) were recruited from the East Flanders Prospective Twin Survey. DNA extracted from saliva samples was bisulfite‐treated followed by PCR amplification of target regions in DMRs most representative for abnormal growth syndromes: KvDMR1, H19 CTCF4, H19 CTCF6, IGF2 DMR0, IGF2 DMR2, GRB10 , MEST , SNRPN , GNAS XL‐α‐s and GNAS Exon1A . At the DMRs analyzed, methylation‐dependent primer extension experiments revealed only small intrapair differences in methylation indexes (MI) between the heavy and lean co‐twins. In addition, no significant correlations between intrapair BMI differences and intrapair differences in MI were observed. In conclusion, DNA methylation variability at the nine DMRs analyzed does not seem to contribute to the discordancy in BMI observed in these MZ twins.