A possible role for epigenetics in age-dependent bone diseases

Epigenetics, the study of changes in gene expression without alteration of the DNA sequence, has emerged as a promising area of research in the field of agerelated diseases. Epigenetic processes, mainly DNA methylation and histone acetylation, can influence genotypes as a response to environmental and stochastic factors. The aging process is considered to be an accumulation of molecular errors, which also affect epigenetic mechanisms and could contribute to the appearance of age-related diseases. Based on the role of epigenetics in several agedependent diseases, in this paper we discuss its possible involvement in age-dependent bone diseases such as osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2010.