Evidence for differences in DNA methylation between Germans and Japanese

As a contribution to the discussion about the possible effects of ethnicity/ancestry on age estimation based on DNA methylation (DNAm) patterns, we directly compared age-associated DNAm in German and Japanese donors in one laboratory under identical conditions. DNAm was analyzed by pyrosequencing for 22 CpG sites (CpGs) in the genes PDE4C, RPA2, ELOVL2, DDO, and EDARADD in buccal mucosa samples from German and Japanese donors (N = 368 and N = 89, respectively). Twenty of these CpGs revealed a very high correlation with age and were subsequently tested for differences between German and Japanese donors aged between 10 and 65 years (N = 287 and N = 83, respectively). ANCOVA was performed by testing the Japanese samples against age- and sex-matched German subsamples (N = 83 each; extracted 500 times from the German total sample). The median p values suggest a strong evidence for significant differences (p < 0.05) at least for two CpGs (EDARADD, CpG 2, and PDE4C, CpG 2) and no differences for 11 CpGs (p > 0.3). Age prediction models based on DNAm data from all 20 CpGs from German training data did not reveal relevant differences between the Japanese test samples and German subsamples. Obviously, the high number of included robust CpGs prevented relevant effects of differences in DNAm at two CpGs. Nevertheless, the presented data demonstrates the need for further research regarding the impact of confounding factors on DNAm in the context of ethnicity/ancestry to ensure a high quality of age estimation. One approach may be the search for robust CpG markers-which requires the targeted investigation of different populations, at best by collaborative research with coordinated research strategies.

Automated summary

The study directly compared age-associated DNA methylation patterns in German and Japanese donors, finding significant differences in certain CpG sites. However, the age prediction models based on multiple robust CpG sites did not reveal relevant differences between the two populations, suggesting the need for further research to ensure high quality age estimation.