The main goal of the study was to measure the epigenetic age (also known as DNA methylation age) of human bone tissue and to relate it to chronological age. Toward this end, we used the epigenetic clock software described in Horvath S (2013) DNA methylation age of human tissues and cell types. Genome Biology.2013, 14:R115. DOI: 10.1186/10.1186/gb-2013-14-10-r115 PMID: 24138928
Overall design
Human DNA methylation Beadchip v1.2 was used to obtain DNA methylation profiles across approximately 486,000 CpGs. The trabecular bone pieces were obtained from the central part of the femoral head of Spanish (Caucasian) patients with hip fractures (due to osteoporosis) or subjects with osteoarthritis. About 85% of the cell population in this bone tissue are osteocytes and the remainder are osteoblasts, bone marrow, etc.
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