"The visible effects of ageing on our body are in part linked to invisible changes in gene activity. The epigenetic process of DNA methylation - the addition or removal of tags called methyl groups - becomes less precise as we age. The result is changes to gene expression that are linked to reduced organ function and increased susceptibility to disease as people age."
"Researchers can already analyse DNA methylation patterns in people's genomes to create ageing clocks - tools that measure biological age. However, there are unresolved fundamental questions about whether these signatures of ageing are shared across tissue types. To elucidate how methylation relates to ageing, Nir Eynon at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and his colleagues conducted a meta-analysis of more than 15,000 samples from 17 human tissues"
Analysis of DNA methylation patterns in over 15,000 samples across 17 human tissues mapped epigenetic changes across the adult lifespan. DNA methylation precision declines with age, causing altered gene expression linked to reduced organ function and increased disease susceptibility. Some tissues accumulate more ageing-related methylation changes (retina, stomach) while others accumulate fewer (cervix, skin). Universal epigenetic markers of ageing were identified across different organs, creating an epigenetic atlas. The atlas enables investigation of links between methylation changes and physiological ageing and may support identification of molecular targets for anti-ageing interventions.
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