Space/Population and Time/Age in DNA methylation variability in humans: a study on IGF2/H19 locus in different Italian populations and in mono- and di-zygotic twins of different age | Zendy

Chiara Pirazzini | Zendy; Cristina Giuliani | Zendy; Maria Giulia Bacalini | Zendy; Alessio Boattini | Zendy; Miriam Capri | Zendy; E. Fontanesi | Zendy; Elena Marasco | Zendy; Vilma Mantovani | Zendy; Michela Pierini | Zendy; Elisa Pini | Zendy; Donata Luiselli | Zendy; Claudio Franceschi | Zendy; Paolo Garagnani | Zendy

Open Access

Space/Population and Time/Age in DNA methylation variability in humans: a study on IGF2/H19 locus in different Italian populations and in mono- and di-zygotic twins of different age

Author(s) -

Chiara Pirazzini,

Cristina Giuliani,

Maria Giulia Bacalini,

Alessio Boattini,

Miriam Capri,

E. Fontanesi,

Elena Marasco,

Vilma Mantovani,

Michela Pierini,

Elisa Pini,

Donata Luiselli,

Claudio Franceschi,

Paolo Garagnani

Publication year - 2012

Publication title -

aging

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473

H-Index - 90

ISSN - 1945-4589

DOI - 10.18632/aging.100476

Subject(s) - dna methylation , locus (genetics) , genetics , biology , population , zygote , methylation , demography , evolutionary biology , dna , gene , gene expression , sociology , embryogenesis

Little is known about the impact of space (geography/ancestry) and time (age of the individuals) on DNA methylation variability in humans. We investigated DNA methylation of the imprinted IGF2/H19 locus in: i) a cohort of individuals homogeneous for age and gender (males with restricted age range: 30-50 years) belonging to four Italian districts representative of the major genetic clines, informative for the geographical dimension; ii) a cohort of monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins of different ages (age-range: 22-97 years), informative for the temporal dimension. DNA methylation of the analyzed regions displayed high levels of inter-individual variability that could not be ascribed to any geographical cline. In MZ twins we identified two IGF2/H19 regions where the intra-couple variations significantly increased after the age of 60 years. The analysis of twins' individual life histories suggests that the within twin pairs difference is likely the result of the aging process itself, as sharing a common environment for long periods had no effect on DNA methylation divergence. On the whole, the data here reported suggest that: i) aging more than population genetics is responsible for the inter-individual variability in DNA methylation patterns in humans; ii) DNA methylation variability appears to be highly region-specific.

The content you want is available to Zendy users.

Already have an account? Click here to sign in.

Having issues? You can contact us here

Accelerating Research