Analysis of DNA methylation of potential age-related methylation sites in canine peripheral blood leukocytes

Reliable methodology for predicting the age of mature dogs is currently unavailable. In this study, amplicon sequencing of 50 blood samples obtained from diseased dogs was used to measure methylation in seven DNA regions. Significant correlations between methylation level and age were identified in four of the seven regions. These four regions were then tested in samples from 31 healthy toy poodles, and correlations were detected in two regions. The age of another 11 dogs was predicted using data from the diseased dogs and the healthy poodles. The mean difference between the actual and calculated ages was 34.3 and 23.1 months, respectively. Further research is needed to identify additional sites of age-related methylation and allow accurate age prediction in dogs.