Monozygotic Twins Part 1. I. 1 Answers

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Answers for: Part I

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There are two types of twins:
• Monozygotic twins, also called “Identical twins:”
They arise from a single sperm and single egg. Then the zygote is divided into two identical zygotes that carry the same genetic material and the same physical appearance.
• Dizygotic twins: also called “Non-identical twins:”
They arise from two sperms and two separate eggs. Thus, the two zygotes will not carry the same genetic materials or the same physical appearance.

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Identical twins are completely identical since they come from the same zygote. However, identical twins may not remain 100% identical overtime due to many factors such as environmental factors.

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Studying twins can tell us a lot about the genetic influence. Studying twins tells us the difference between “concordant” and “discordant.” Concordant means that both twins have, or do not have, the same trait, while discordant means that one of the twins does have a trait that the other twin does not. Studying twins tells us about twins’ possibilities of being concordant for specific traits. Actually, studying twins brought our attentions to the point that monozygotic twins are …show more content…

However, when we compare the methylation profiles for 50 years old twins, we see that the methylation amounts in each figure of the 50 years old twins (shown in red and green) are not similar. I think that the environment can affect the DNA methylation, as twins get older. The 50-year-old twins have different life environments, for example; one twin might expose to the sunlight more than the other twin, so they do not have a similar methylation profile. While the 3 years old twin have almost similar environments, as they spend most of their times at home, so they have similar methylation