Indeed, Sanders et al., showed via lung tissue immunohistological staining of tissue sections matched to those in which DNA methylation data was generated, that increased DNMT3a staining, thought to be driving the changes to DNA methylation in IPF lung tissue, was primarily in epithelial cells overlying fibroblastic foci, indicating DNA methylation alteration may be primarily epithelial [54]. Here, DNMT3A is linked to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.