Abstract
Objective: Osteoarthritis is a common and complex joint disorder that shows higher prevalence and greater disease severity in women. Here, we investigate genome-wide methylation profiles of primary chondrocytes from osteoarthritis patients. Design: We compare genome-wide methylation profiles of macroscopically intact (low-grade) and degraded (high-grade) osteoarthritis cartilage samples matched from osteoarthritis patients undergoing knee replacement surgery. We perform an epigenome-wide association study for cartilage degeneration across 170 patients and separately in 96 women and 74 men. Results: We reveal widespread epigenetic differences with enrichments of nervous system and apoptosis-related processes. We further identify substantial similarities between sexes, but also sex-specific markers and pathways. Conclusions: Together, we provide the largest genome-wide methylation profiles of primary cartilage to date with enhanced and sex-specific insights into epigenetic processes underlying osteoarthritis progression.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1126-1133 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | Osteoarthritis and Cartilage |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 9 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Sep 2024 |
Keywords
- Cartilage
- Chondrocytes
- DNA methylation
- EWAS
- Osteoarthritis
- Sex specificity