Detection of Somatic Mutations in vitro Aging Cells

Deep sequencing was performed to analyze the prevalence of somatic mutations during in vitro cell aging. Primary dermal fibroblasts from healthy subjects of young and advanced age, from Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome, and from Xeroderma Pigmentosum complementation group A (XPA) and C (XPC), were first restricted in number and then expanded in vitro. DNA was obtained from cells pre- and post-expansion and sequenced at high depth, over a cumulative 290 kb target region, including the exons of 44 aging-related genes. Allele frequencies of 58 somatic mutations differed between the pre- and post-cell culture expansion passages.