The transcriptome of 2 pairs of monozygotic twins clinically discordant for IgA nephropathy

Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) is the most common primary glomerulonephritis involves both genetic and environmental factors. DNA methylation, the most studied epigenetic modification, was shown to play a role in IgAN. In two pairs of IgAN-discordant monozygotic (MZ) twins, here we assessed genome-wide DNA methylation profiling and gene expression profiling in order to characterize DNA methylation changes in IgAN and their potential influences on gene expression. Genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression profiles were evaluated in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained from two MZ twins discordant for IgAN. Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected and an integrated analysis was performed.