Letter to the editor: blood processing and sample storage have negligible effects on methylation

• Published in: Clinical epigenetics Vol. 10; no. 1; pp. 22 - 5
• Main Authors: Groen, Kira, Lea, Rodney A., Maltby, Vicki E., Scott, Rodney J., Lechner-Scott, Jeannette
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BioMed Central 14.02.2018; BMC
• Subjects: All other subjects; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Blood; Blood Specimen Collection - adverse effects; Blood Specimen Collection - methods; DNA - blood; DNA - standards; DNA extraction; DNA Methylation; Epigenesis, Genetic; Female; Gene Function; Human Genetics; Humans; Letter to the Editor; Male; Methylation; Neoplasms - genetics; Placenta - chemistry; Pregnancy; Processing; Spermatozoa - chemistry; Storage; DNA extraction; Storage; Methylation; Blood; Processing
• ISSN: 1868-7075; 1868-7083; 1868-7083
• DOI: 10.1186/s13148-018-0455-6

DNA methylation is a dynamic epigenetic mechanism. Researchers aiming to assess archived DNA samples are expressing concern about the effect of technical factors on methylation, as this may confound results. We reviewed recent reports examining this issue in blood samples and concluded that variation in collection, storage, and processing of blood DNA confers negligible effects on both global methylation and methylation status of specific genes. These results are concordant with studies that have investigated the effect of sample storage and processing on methylation in other tissues, such as tumour, sperm, and placenta samples.