Cellular aging can be monitored by DNA-methylation changes at specific CpG sites. Homo sapiens

Long-term culture associated changes need to be considered for quality control of cell preparations – especially in cellular therapy. Here we describe a simple method to track cellular aging based on continuous DNA-methylation changes at six specific CpG sites. This epigenetic signature can be used as a biomarker for various cell types to predict the state of cellular aging with regard to the number of passages or days of in vitro culture. Overall design: 8 samples of human dermal fibroblasts. 4 samples of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) from human adipose tissue.