TY - JOUR AU - Lea, Rodney A. AU - Aquino, Eunise M. AU - Benton, Miles C. AU - Haupt, Larisa M. AU - Sutherland, Heidi G. AU - Griffiths, Lyn R. PY - 2018 DA - 2018/04/11 TI - Current Understanding of DNA Methylation and Age-related Disease JO - OBM Genetics SP - 016 VL - 02 IS - 02 AB - DNA methylation involves the covalent transfer of a methyl group to the C-5 position of the cytosine ring on a DNA strand which can affect gene transcription. DNA methylation is both heritable and modifiable. In recent years, epigenome-wide association studies using high-throughput technologies have associated variation in DNA methylation levels with normal and pathological aging processes in human populations. Consequently, DNA methylation patterns have been used to construct epigenetic clocks which can serve as potential biomarkers of age-related diseases. To date, age acceleration, as determined using these epigenetic clocks has been strongly linked to diseases including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. Identification of these robust associations between DNA methylation and aging provide new potential therapeutic avenues for the understanding, preventing and treating age-related diseases. SN - 2577-5790 UR - https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.genet.1802016 DO - 10.21926/obm.genet.1802016 ID - Lea2018 ER -