Charting the dynamic methylome across the human lifespan

Abstract

In this thesis we aimed to get insight in how the methylome is established during development

and subsequently degenerates during ageing using an integrative approach to the analysis of

DNA methylation in conjunction with other levels of genomics data. The first two empirical chapters of this thesis describe the establishment and the maintenance of the epigenome during fetal development and in later life in multiple tissues. In the subsequent two chapters we investigated the loss of control over the methylome in blood and other tissues.