DNA methyltransferase catalyzes transfer of methyl group to DNAFLICKR, ENZYMLOGICWhen conducting clinical trials, researchers collect demographic data on study participants, such as gender, age, height, race and ethnicity. But while most of these traits are phenotypes that can be easily assessed or measured, race and ethnicity are social constructs that can be difficult to characterize. Researchers have questioned the usefulness of using race and ethnicity—rather than genetic ancestry—for medical applications.
To better understand how much of race/ethnicity are rooted in genetics, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and their colleagues analyzed differences in methylation patterns within the genomes of Latino children. “Methylation, which is the predominant epigenomic marker within our genomes, is like a fingerprint on our DNA that can be modified by both genetic ancestry and by the environment,” Esteban Burchard, a physician-scientist at UCSF, told The Scientist.
In a study published last week (January 3) in eLife, Burchard and colleagues showed that about 75 percent of methylation signatures could be explained by the children’s genetic ancestry. The other 25 percent, however, is likely due to social or environmental factors that co-vary with self-identified race/ethnicity. The study is among the first ...
