A_study_of_Methylated_DNA_regions_in_Twins_

The epigenome of each mature cellular lineage carries the record of its developmental history. Specific patterns of hypermethylated DNA are associated with the transcriptional silencing of genes correlating with cancer progression, and treatment response, therefore representing promising biological markers. Methylated DNA Immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) is an immunocapturing approach to isolate DNA that is methylated. We intend to study DNA methylation in discordant and concordant twins, using the TWINS UK database. We will perform MeDIP in skin and fat biopsies as well as whole blood and look for differentially methylated sites. The study aims to address questions such as: to what extent is methylation heritable and what are the characteristics of heritable versus non-heritable methylated regions? Can we correlate methylation profiles with phenotypes and covariates? Can we identify novel imprinted regions?