Smith, N.Shirazi, S.Cakouros, D.Gronthos, S.2023-04-212023-04-212023International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 2023; 24(7):6499-64991661-65961422-0067https://hdl.handle.net/2440/138071Many crucial epigenetic changes occur during early skeletal development and throughout life due to aging, disease and are heavily influenced by an individual’s lifestyle. Epigenetics is the study of heritable changes in gene expression as the result of changes in the environment without any mutation in the underlying DNA sequence. The epigenetic profiles of cells are dynamic and mediated by different mechanisms, including histone modifications, non-coding RNA-associated gene silencing and DNA methylation. Given the underlining role of dysfunctional mesenchymal tissues in common age-related skeletal diseases such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis, investigations into skeletal stem cells or mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and their functional deregulation during aging has been of great interest and how this is mediated by an evolving epigenetic landscape. The present review describes the recent findings in epigenetic changes of MSCs that effect growth and cell fate determination in the context of aging, diet, exercise and bone-related diseases.en© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).bone marrow stromal cells; mesenchymal stem cells; epigenetics; osteogenic; bone; skeleton; DNA methylation; histone methylation; histone acetylationMesenchymal Stem CellsCell DifferentiationDNA MethylationEpigenesis, GeneticJournal article10.3390/ijms240764992023-04-21640365Smith, N. [0000-0003-0444-324X]Cakouros, D. [0000-0001-6136-0761]Gronthos, S. [0000-0002-6225-3084]