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Abstract
DNA methylation gradiently changes with age and is likely to be involved in aging-related processes with subsequent phenotype changes and increased susceptibility to certain diseases. The Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria (HGP) and Werner Syndrome (WS) are two premature aging diseases showing features of common natural aging early in life. Mutations in the LMNA and WRN genes were associated to disease onset; however, for a subset of patients the underlying causative mechanisms remain elusive. We aimed to evaluate the role of epigenetic alteration on premature aging diseases by performing comprehensive DNA methylation profiling of HGP and WS patients. We observed profound changes in the DNA methylation landscapes of WRN and LMNA mutant patients, which were narrowed down to a set of aging related genes and processes. Although of low overall variance, non-mutant patients revealed differential DNA methylation at distinct loci. Hence, we propose DNA methylation to have an impact on premature aging diseases.
Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest
No potential conflicts of interest were disclosed.
Acknowledgments
The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) grant EPINORC under the agreement n° 268626, the MICINN Project – SAF2011-22803, the Cellex Foundation, the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) by the grant HEALTH-F5-2011-282510 - BLUEPRINT and the Health and Science Departments of the Generalitat de Catalunya. M.E. is an ICREA Research Professor.