DNA Methylation: An Approach to Forensic Age Prediction by Molecular Mechanism

Abstract

Epigenetic processes have an important role in gene expression which is affected by living environments conditions. Occurrence of epigenetics is conciliated by two major molecular mechanisms which includes histone modification and DNA methylation. DNA methylation is an epigenetic channel action, this is a natural process where transmission of a methyl group on the C5 position of the cytosine to form 5-methylcytosine at genome. So, epigenetic change is normal and continual fact that may be influenced by many factors including age, the environment / lifestyle, and disease state. The normal process of aging causes a span of transformation of tissues and organs which gathered over life time. Now this could be possible to be examined through molecular based method. In view of this methylation levels of age associated marker have been used for highly accurate age prediction in this area and depicted that an age associated methylation marker on specific gene location found to be useful with marginal lapse. In Indian scenario there are no such study published on epigenetic markers for age estimation. In future for forensic cases work Molecular biomarkers may be significant to estimate age.