New role for DNA methylation in subset of premature aging disorder patients

Scientists at the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain have found new evidence for the role of epigenetic changes (those heritable alterations in gene expression caused by mechanisms other than changes in DNA sequence) on premature aging diseases. A new study published in the journal Epigenetics on Jan. 1, 2013, identified a role for DNA methylation changes in a subset of Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria and Werner Syndrome patients, for which no genetic cause (such as DNA mutation) had been associated with onset disease. The study, titled "Aberrant DNA methylation profiles in the premature aging disorders Hutinson-Gilford Progeria and Werner syndrome," is available at http://www.landesbioscience.com/journals/epigenetics/article/23366/.

Epigenetics is a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal that publishes original research and review articles covering the latest findings about epigenetic mechanisms and their role in diverse biological processes. Established in 1997, Landes Bioscience is an Austin, Texas-based publisher of biology research journals and books. For more information on Landes Bioscience, please visit http://www.landesbioscience.com/.