"Differential methylation" refers to differences in the addition of a chemical group called a methyl group to DNA molecules. Methyl groups can influence gene expression, and when the pattern of methylation varies between individuals or groups, it is known as
differential methylation. This can potentially indicate changes in gene activity or function, which can be relevant in various biological processes and diseases.
Full definition
However, 15,627 CpG sites in / near ∼ 30 % of all genes exhibited
differential methylation in adipose tissue from a case - control cohort of unrelated individuals, supporting a key role for epigenetic modifications in T2D patients.
These genes were selected based on the following criteria: they exhibit differential expression in the discordant twins (q < 0.15; Fig. 3A and C), as well
as differential methylation in both the discordant twins (P < 0.05; Fig. 3B and D) and case - control cohort 2 (q < 0.15; Fig. 3B and D).
We
found differential methylation in 123 sites (q < 0.15) representing 50 T2D candidate genes including IRS1, PPARG, KCNQ1, and TCF7L2 (Supplementary Table 14 and Fig. 2K).
Meaney and colleagues have found that variation in early care affects the expression of the glucocorticoid receptor gene in the hippocampus
by differential methylation of the promoter region of the gene leading to stable differences in offspring stress reactivity persisting through adulthood [136].
FINDINGS The authors picked up 21 novel sites
of differential methylation, 15 of which occur only in the placenta — and none of which were imprinted in mouse crosses they conducted (Genome Res, 24:554 - 69, 2014).
The validation of these differentially methylated promoters in a distinct human sample, and of a different sex, is consistent with the hypothesis that chronic physical aggression is associated
with differential methylation in these promoters.
Using a new bioinformatics tool, they identified HAND2 as
a differential methylation hotspot in endometrial cancer.
Interestingly,
differential methylation of the protocadherin cluster was also found to be associated with childhood socioeconomic position in whole blood [85] and with differential maternal care early in life in hippocampi of rats [33].