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Diagnosis of Twin Zygosity by Self-Assessment and by Genetic Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 August 2014

M.-C. King ,
G. D. Friedman ,
D. Lattanzio ,
G. Rodgers ,
A. M. Lewis ,
M. E. Dupuy  and
H. Williams
M.-C. King*
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley Department of Epidemiology and International Health, University of California, San Francisco
G. D. Friedman
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Methods Research and, Kaiser Foundation Institute, Kaiser-Permanente Medical Care Program, Oakland, California
D. Lattanzio
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley Department of Epidemiology and International Health, University of California, San Francisco
G. Rodgers
Affiliation:
School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley Department of Epidemiology and International Health, University of California, San Francisco
A. M. Lewis
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Methods Research and, Kaiser Foundation Institute, Kaiser-Permanente Medical Care Program, Oakland, California
M. E. Dupuy
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and International Health, University of California, San Francisco
H. Williams
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology and International Health, University of California, San Francisco
*
School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720

Abstract

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For 173 pairs of like-sex adult twins, self-assessment of zygosity was verified by laboratory diagnosis. Seventeen percent of twins who were very likely monozygous (MZ) believed themselves dizygous (DZ), frequently citing two placentas at their delivery as “evidence.” We suggest that twins be asked what leads them to their assessment of their own zygosity. For 93% of Caucasian and 89% of American Black like-sex twins in our sample, DZ twins could be differentiated based on six polymorphic markers retrievable from frozen sera. MZ twins who believe themselves DZ can be considered “environmentally DZ, genetically MZ” twins, and might be used to study genetic and environmental influences on the treatment of twins and on twins' choices of social characteristics.

Keywords

Zygosity determinationGenetic analysisGenetic markersTwin studies
Type
Research Article
Information
Acta geneticae medicae et gemellologiae: twin research , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , April 1980 , pp. 121 - 126
Copyright
Copyright © The International Society for Twin Studies 1980

References

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