Ageing affects subtelomeric DNA methylation in blood cells from a large European population enrolled in the MARK-AGE study.

ABSTRACT: Ageing leaves characteristic traces in the DNA methylation make-up of the genome. However, the importance of DNA methylation in ageing remains unclear. The study of subtelomeric regions could give promising insights into this issue. Previously reported associations between susceptibility to age-related diseases and epigenetic instability at subtelomeres suggest that the DNA methylation profile of subtelomeres undergoes remodelling during ageing. In the present work, this hypothesis has been tested in the context of the European large-scale project MARK-AGE. In this cross-sectional study, we profiled the DNA methylation of chromosomes 5 and 21 subtelomeres, in more than 2000 age-stratified women and men recruited in eight European countries. The study included individuals from the general p

SUBMITTER: Bacalini MG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8190237 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature