In the scientific community, genetic differences between identical twins are thought to be minimal. Therefore, it is assumed that the physical or behavioral differences of the siblings in question are due to environmental factors such as diet and lifestyle.
But research by deCODE genetics in Iceland, a subsidiary of the US-based pharmaceutical company Amgen, pointed to the role of genetic factors in shaping differences.
Kari Stefansson, president of deCODE genetics, told AFP news agency that the classic model says that if autism develops in one of identical twins growing separately, it is caused by the environment. He added that this notion was “extremely dangerous” and that the disease could be caused by an early genetic mutation that occurred in one of the twins but was not found in the other.
Mutation means change in DNA while it can happen when a cell divides. Mutation, which is not good or bad in nature, can affect susceptibility to some diseases with physical characteristics.
According to ScienceAlert, Stefansson and his team sequenced the genome of 387 identical identical twins and their parents, spouses and children to track genetic mutations. In this way, he determined when genetic mutations occurred in cells that were only found in one person and passed on to that person’s children.
By analyzing the mutations that occurred during embryonic development, the team found that identical twins differed by an average of 5.2 early mutations. In 15 percent of twins, the mutation difference is even higher.
For example, in a pair of twins, when all the cells in one of the siblings’ body had a mutation, this meant that the mutation occurred very early. In the other sibling, these cells did not exist.
Genetics expert Jam Dumanski from Uppsala University in Sweden, who was not involved in the research, praised the research for its significant contribution to medical research. He underlined that more attention should be paid when working on twins.
Another name not included in the research team, Psychologist Nancy Segal, who studies twins at the Fullerton Campus of California State University in the USA, said the research would push the scientific community to change their mind about twins, calling it “heroic and really important.”
The research was published on January 7 in the peer-reviewed science journal Nature Genetics.
Source: https://www.indyturk.com/
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