MYH11/NDE1 region as epigenetic marker for the identification of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs)

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method, in particular an in vitro method, for identifying endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), comprising analyzing epigenetic modifications/properties of (including the methylation status) of at least one CpG position in the mammalian gene region for muscle myosin heavy chain 11 (MYH11) and nuclear distribution protein nudE homolog 1 (NDE1), wherein a demethylation or lack of methylation of said gene regions is indicative for an EPC, when compared to a non-EPC. The analysis according to the invention can identify EPCs on an epigenetic level and distinguish them from all other cells in complex samples, such as, for example, other blood, non-blood or immune cells. The present invention furthermore provides an improved method for quantifying EPCs, in particular in complex samples. The method can be performed without a step of purifying and/or enriching cells, preferably in whole blood and/or non-trypsinized tissue.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.