Ring 18 mosaicism in identical twins

Male identical twins with r(18)/normal mosaicism are reported. Twin 1 has the characteristic manifestations of the r(18) syndrome, but twin 2 shows a normal phenotype. Cytogenetic study of cultured lymphocytes revealed that the proportions of r(18) are 19.7% and 19.2%, respectively. However in the fibroblast cultures, the ring is observed in 51% of cells in twin 1 and in 0% in twin 2. The mechanism of the occurrence of the discrepant phenotypes in the twins is discussed.