Polar twins
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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Half Twins. (Discuss) |
Polar twins or Non-identical monozygotic twins are twins which split from the same zygote but are non-identical. Despite having identical genomes, they develop differently for various reasons.
Polar twins are said to occur when a single egg splits in two and the two halves are fertilized by two separate sperm. The part of the egg that splits off is referred to as the first polar body. This body will usually disintegrate. The result of the two bodies being separately fertilized is a set of twins who have half of their genes in common (from the mother) and the other half different (from the two different sperm). They share some features of identical twins and some features of fraternal twins and are sometimes referred to as half-identical twins.
Polar body twinning is only a theory as there are currently no DNA-based zygosity tests available to determine if twins are polar.
Similar conditions
This condition is similar yet not identical to that of Half Twins but is still often confused.
References
- Non-identical Monozygotic Twins (Developmental Biology Online)
- FAQ - Polar Twins (Proactive Genetics)
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Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
