Chair and Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Bydgoszcz, Poland.
Chair and Department of Oncologic Pathology and Prophylactics, Greater Poland Cancer Center, Poznań University of Medical Sciences and Department of Oncologic Pathology, Poznan, Poland.
Arch Immunol Ther Exp (Warsz). 2018 Dec;66(6):463-470. doi: 10.1007/s00005-018-0514-x. Epub 2018 May 23.
Dizygotic twins share the same type of genetic relationship as non-twin siblings. Whereas monozygotic (MZ) twins are considered to have identical genetic material, they still differ. There is a number of reasons for early MZ twin discordance, including differences in the in utero environment, stochasticity, genetic mosaicism, and epigenetic factors. During gestation, the efficient innate immune system is of utmost importance. Our study was based on immunohistochemical evaluation of the differences in innate immune protein expression (TLR-2, NOD2, and NF-κB) in the 95 placentas between twins. Our study revealed statistical significant differences between diamniotic-dichorionic and monoamniotic-dichorionic twins. Monoamniotic-monochorionic twins exhibited no significant differences in protein expressions. To identify epigenetic factors causing the differences between twins, we made a series of comparisons with clinical data. The study revealed more cases with infections, miscarriages, in vitro fertilization, and premature rupture of membranes within the group with higher differences level of NF-κB, NOD2 and TLR-2 between twins. In case of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, there were no significant differences in innate immune protein expressions between twins. These results show that dissimilar genetic material and separate in utero environment promote discordance in innate immune protein expressions between twins. Moreover, additional blood flow between twins may be favorable in life-threatening conditions ensuring similar microenvironment.
双卵双胞胎与非双胞胎兄弟姐妹具有相同的遗传关系。虽然同卵（MZ）双胞胎被认为具有相同的遗传物质，但它们仍然存在差异。导致早期 MZ 双胞胎不一致的原因有很多，包括宫内环境、随机性、遗传镶嵌和表观遗传因素的差异。在妊娠期间，高效的先天免疫系统至关重要。我们的研究基于对双胞胎 95 个胎盘之间先天免疫蛋白表达（TLR-2、NOD2 和 NF-κB）差异的免疫组织化学评估。我们的研究揭示了双羊膜双绒毛膜和单羊膜双绒毛膜双胞胎之间存在统计学显著差异。单羊膜单绒毛膜双胞胎在蛋白表达方面没有显著差异。为了确定导致双胞胎之间差异的表观遗传因素，我们与临床数据进行了一系列比较。研究显示，在 NF-κB、NOD2 和 TLR-2 双胞胎之间差异水平较高的组中，存在更多的感染、流产、体外受精和胎膜早破病例。在双胎输血综合征的情况下，双胞胎之间的先天免疫蛋白表达没有显著差异。这些结果表明，不同的遗传物质和不同的宫内环境促进了双胞胎之间先天免疫蛋白表达的不一致。此外，双胞胎之间额外的血流可能在危及生命的情况下有利，以确保相似的微环境。
