Differential analysis of genome-wide methylation and gene expression in mesenchymal stem cells of patients with fractures and osteoarthritis

ABSTRACTInsufficient activity of the bone-forming osteoblasts leads to low bone mass and predisposes to fragility fractures. The functional capacity of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), the precursors of osteoblasts, may be compromised in elderly individuals, in relation with the epigenetic changes associated with aging. However, the role of hMSCs in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis is still unclear. Therefore, we aimed to characterize the genome-wide methylation and gene expression signatures and the differentiation capacity of hMSCs from patients with hip fractures. We obtained hMSCs from the femoral heads of women undergoing hip replacement due to hip fractures and controls with hip osteoarthritis. DNA methylation was explored with the Infinium 450K bead array. Transcriptome analysis was done by RNA sequencing. The genomic analyses revealed that most differentially methylated loci were situated in genomic regions with enhancer activity, distant from gene bodies and promoters. These regions were ass...