The Aging Epigenome

Abstract

During aging, the mechanisms that normally maintain health and stress resistance strikingly decline, resulting in decrepitude, frailty, and ultimately death. Exactly when and how this decline occurs is unknown. Changes in transcriptional networks and chromatin state lie at the heart of age-dependent decline. These epigenomic changes are not only observed during aging but also profoundly affect cellular function and stress resistance, thereby contributing to the progression of aging. We propose that the dysregulation of transcriptional and chromatin networks is a crucial component of aging. Understanding age-dependent epigenomic changes will yield key insights into how aging begins and progresses and should lead to the development of new therapeutics that delay or even reverse aging and age-related diseases.

Epigenetic Mechanisms of Longevity and Aging

“…In addition to nutrients, other environmental stimuli (such as circadian cycles, hormones, and exercise) also alter the epigenome to influence lifespan and healthspan. For additional discussion of these signals, we direct the readers to two recent reviews (Benayoun et al, 2015; Booth and Brunet, 2016). The best characterized pathway connecting the environment to the epigenome is nutrient signaling which we discuss in detail below.…”

Aging and Alzheimer’s disease: Comparison and associations from molecular to system level

“…Although it is not known whether such a pattern exists for in human brain aging, thanks to the Roadmap project, a snapshot of the older brain's epigenome in seven brain regions (angular gyrus, anterior caudate, cingulate gyrus, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, inferior temporal cortex, midhippocampus, and substantia nigra) and six marks (H3K9me3, H3K27me3, H3K4me3, H3K36me3, H3K27ac, and H3K4me1) is available. We also refer the readers to reviews on other tissues or model organisms (Booth & Brunet, 2016; Lardenoije et al, 2015). …”

Targeting chromatin aging - The epigenetic impact of longevity-associated interventions

“…This topic has been the subject of a number of excellent reviews, to which the reader is directed in the following citations (Booth and Brunet, 2016;Brunet and Berger, 2014;Sen et al, 2016).…”