Review
Cell Biology
Mark Tomas Mc Auley
Summary: Ageing is a biological process characterized by physical decline and increased risk of mortality over time, with recent evidence linking epigenetic mechanisms like DNA methylation to age-related diseases. Evolutionary theory provides insights into how genes impact fitness at different ages, and how DNA methylation changes are associated with age onset pathology.
AGEING RESEARCH REVIEWS
(2021)
Article
Biology
Thibaut Renard, Baptiste Martinet, Natalia De Souza Araujo, Serge Aron
Summary: Epigenetic alterations are a primary hallmark of aging, and this study found that such changes occur not only in mammals but also play a crucial role in insects. By using a hypomethylating agent, the researchers extended the average lifespan of bumblebees and induced differential methylation of genes associated with aging. Additionally, they discovered that the overexpression of the longevity gene sirt1 was positively correlated with lifespan.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Brian T. Joyce, Tao Gao, Kalsea Koss, Yinan Zheng, Andres Cardenas, Jonathan Heiss, Allan Just, Kai Zhang, Linda van Horn, Norrina Bai Allen, Philip Greenland, Sheldon Cohen, Penny Gordon-Larsen, Colter Mitchell, Sara McLanahan, Lisa Schneper, Daniel Notterman, Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman, Emily Oken, Marie-France Hivert, Robert Wright, Andrea Baccarelli, Donald Lloyd-Jones, Lifang Hou
Summary: This study examines the relationship between individual, parental, and neighborhood socioeconomic status and epigenetic age acceleration (EAA), and finds that paternal education is associated with EAA.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Britany L. Morgan, Kathleen Donohue
Summary: This study found that DNA methylation in both parents and offspring plays different roles in regulating plant responses to the environment. Parental DNA demethylation mainly affects phenotype responses in early life stages, while offspring DNA demethylation has an influence throughout life.
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Genfu Yagi, Huiyuan Qi, Kana Arai, Yuki F. Kita, Kazunobu Kogi, Tadamichi Morisaka, Motoi Yoshioka, Miho Inoue-Murayama
Summary: Age is crucial for studying the life history of wild animals but often requires invasive methods. This study developed a non-invasive method to estimate the age of dolphins using DNA methylation rate from fecal samples, achieving high accuracy.
MOLECULAR ECOLOGY RESOURCES
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Marie-Laure Ancelin, Isabelle Jaussent, Karen Ritchie, Alain Besset, Joanne Ryan, Yves Dauvilliers
Summary: This study examines the association between BDNF variants and promoter I methylation with sleep disturbances in older adults. The results show that wake time after sleep onset (WASO) is associated with four SNPs in participants not taking psychotropic drugs, while the associations are either not significant or in the reverse direction in participants taking drugs. Higher BDNF methylation levels are found in participants with long WASO, and this varies depending on psychotropic drug use.
JOURNAL OF SLEEP RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Medicine, General & Internal
Rossella Cannarella, Andrea Crafa, Laura M. Mongioi, Loredana Leggio, Nunzio Iraci, Sandro La Vignera, Rosita A. Condorelli, Aldo E. Calogero
Summary: This study found that the methylation levels of H19 CCCTC-binding factor 3 were significantly lower in offspring conceived after ART compared to spontaneously conceived offspring, while other genes showed no significant differences in methylation levels. Further prospective and well-sized population studies are needed to evaluate the impact of ART on the epigenome of offspring due to the lack of studies and data heterogeneity.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Gemma C. Sharp, Rossella Alfano, Akram Ghantous, Jose Urquiza, Sheryl L. Rifas-Shiman, Christian M. Page, Jianping Jin, Silvia Fernandez-Barres, Gillian Santorelli, Gwen Tindula
Summary: This meta-analysis study of paternal prenatal BMI and offspring DNA methylation at birth and in childhood did not find significant associations. Only a few CpGs showed robust evidence of association in female offspring. A systematic review of other studies did not reveal enrichment for imprinted genes, contradicting some previous findings of associations between paternal BMI/obesity and DNA methylation in offspring or sperm.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Clare J. Venney, Kyle W. Wellband, Eric Normandeau, Carolyne Houle, Dany Garant, Celine Audet, Louis Bernatchez
Summary: This study investigates the effects of parental and offspring temperatures on DNA methylation in brook charr. The results show that parental maturation temperature has a significant impact on offspring methylation, while offspring rearing temperature has a minimal effect. The intergenerational inheritance of DNA methylation could facilitate adaptation to a warming environment.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Anna Reale, Stefano Tagliatesta, Giuseppe Zardo, Michele Zampieri
Summary: DNA methylation plays a crucial role in age-related processes and diseases. Epigenetic age can accurately estimate biological age and predict the risk of chronic diseases and mortality. Recent evidence suggests that the rate of epigenetic aging can be slowed down or even reversed.
MECHANISMS OF AGEING AND DEVELOPMENT
(2022)
Article
Obstetrics & Gynecology
Parnian Kheirkhah Rahimabad, Syed Hasan Arshad, John W. Holloway, Nandini Mukherjee, Anna Hedman, Olena Gruzieva, Ellika Andolf, Juha Kere, Goran Pershagen, Catarina Almqvist, Yu Jiang, Su Chen, Wilfried Karmaus
Summary: This study identified an association between maternal DNA methylation during pregnancy and offspring birthweight, with 8 candidate CpGs being significantly correlated. Replication studies found 3 CpGs to be marginally significant in association with 4 genes related to birthweight. Biological pathway analyses suggested potential cellular and metabolic processes that may influence birthweight outcomes.
REPRODUCTIVE SCIENCES
(2021)
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Louise Rasmussen, Sine Knorr, Christian Skodt Antoniussen, Jens Meldgaard Bruun, Per Glud Ovesen, Jens Fuglsang, Ulla Kampmann
Summary: This systematic review explores the association between maternal lifestyle, diet, and physical activity during pregnancy and epigenetic changes in the offspring. The results suggest a potential link between the mother's behaviors during pregnancy and alterations in DNA methylation and microRNA in the offspring. Despite variations in study quality, the findings point to a possible impact of maternal factors on epigenetic changes in offspring.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Ping-Chi Hsu, Zheng-Kuan Li, Ching-Shu Lai, Li-Ho Tseng, Chia-Wei Lee, Fu-Jen Cheng, Chao-Yu Chang, Jenq-Renn Chen
Summary: The study revealed that BDE-209, an endocrine disrupting chemical, can impact male reproductive function from F1 to F3 generations, leading to changes in DNA methylation levels and alterations in sperm function.
Review
Oncology
Parinaz Poursafa, Zoha Kamali, Eliza Fraszczyk, H. Marike Boezen, Ahmad Vaez, Harold Snieder
Summary: This paper comprehensively reviews the impact of air pollution on MetS and suggests that DNA methylation may serve as a mechanism through which air pollution influences MetS.
CLINICAL EPIGENETICS
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Wubin Ding, Diljeet Kaur, Steve Horvath, Wanding Zhou
Summary: Researchers have developed informatics infrastructure and methods for DNA methylation analysis in multiple species, including domesticated animals and laboratory mice. They have created a data-driven analysis pipeline for species inference, genome-specific data preprocessing, and regression modeling. Comparative analysis has revealed the dynamics of epigenome evolution in different genomic territories and tissue types, and specific methylation differences related to mouse strain phenotypes have been identified. These methods expand epigenome research to a wide range of species by streamlining DNA methylation array analysis for undesigned genomes.
BRIEFINGS IN BIOINFORMATICS
(2023)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Robertina Giacconi, Patrizia D'Aquila, Marco Malavolta, Francesco Piacenza, Alexander Burkle, Maria Moreno Villanueva, Martijn E. T. Dolle, Eugene Jansen, Tilman Grune, Efstathios S. Gonos, Claudio Franceschi, Miriam Capri, Daniela Gradinaru, Beatrix Grubeck-Loebenstein, Ewa Sikora, Wolfgang Stuetz, Daniela Weber, Olivier Toussaint, Florence Debacq-Chainiaux, Antti Hervonen, Mikko Hurme, P. Eline Slagboom, Christiane Schon, Jurgen Bernhardt, Nicolle Breusing, Talbot Duncan, Giuseppe Passarino, Dina Bellizzi, Mauro Provinciali
Summary: This study found that the concentration of blood bacterial DNA (BB-DNA) was higher in the general population compared to individuals from long-living families and their spouses. BB-DNA was found to be associated with smoking, Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), leukocyte subsets, and some oxidative stress markers in the general population.
JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES A-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND MEDICAL SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Laura Kananen, Mikko Hurme, Alexander Buerkle, Maria Moreno-Villanueva, Jurgen Bernhardt, Florence Debacq-Chainiaux, Beatrix Grubeck-Loebenstein, Marco Malavolta, Andrea Basso, Francesco Piacenza, Sebastiano Collino, Efstathios S. Gonos, Ewa Sikora, Daniela Gradinaru, Eugene H. J. M. Jansen, Martijn E. T. Dolle, Michel Salmon, Wolfgang Stuetz, Daniela Weber, Tilman Grune, Nicolle Breusing, Andreas Simm, Miriam Capri, Claudio Franceschi, Eline Slagboom, Duncan Talbot, Claude Libert, Jani Raitanen, Seppo Koskinen, Tommi Harkanen, Sari Stenholm, Mika Ala-Korpela, Terho Lehtimaki, Olli T. Raitakari, Olavi Ukkola, Mika Kahonen, Marja Jylha, Juulia Jylhava
Summary: Circulating cell-free DNA (cf-DNA) levels are associated with age, sex, smoking, physical activity, vegetable consumption, ageing phenotypes, and various biomarkers. Higher cf-DNA levels were found in men, especially middle-aged men and women who smoke, and older frail individuals. Inflammatory markers, metabolites, and antioxidant levels were correlated with cf-DNA levels. These findings have implications for future studies on the epidemiology and biological mechanisms of cf-DNA and its potential as a clinical marker.
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Peter Lauffer, Nitash Zwaveling-Soonawala, Shaobo Li, Maria G. Bacalini, Oxana Y. Naumova, Joseph Wiemels, Anita Boelen, Peter Henneman, Adam J. de Smith, A. S. Paul van Trotsenburg
Summary: In Down syndrome, there is a high occurrence of congenital hypothyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism. This study found that promoter region hypermethylation of thyroid-related genes may cause transcriptional downregulation, leading to the occurrence of congenital hypothyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism in Down syndrome.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Carlos Lopez-Otin, Maria A. Blasco, Linda Partridge, Manuel Serrano, Guido Kroemer
Summary: Aging is driven by hallmarks that manifest with age, accelerate aging when accentuated experimentally, and can be decelerated, stopped, or reversed with therapeutic interventions. The twelve proposed hallmarks of aging include genomic instability, telomere attrition, epigenetic alterations, loss of proteostasis, disabled macroautophagy, deregulated nutrient-sensing, mitochondrial dysfunction, cellular senescence, stem cell exhaustion, altered intercellular communication, chronic inflammation, and dysbiosis. These hallmarks are interconnected with each other and with the recently proposed hallmarks of health.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pamela De Falco, Giacomo Lazzarino, Federica Felice, Enrico Desideri, Serena Castelli, Illari Salvatori, Fabio Ciccarone, Maria Rosa Ciriolo
Summary: N-acetylaspartate (NAA) is synthesized by the mitochondrial enzyme NAT8L using acetyl-CoA and aspartate as substrates. The modulation of NAT8L expression has been found to affect the metabolic adaptations and proliferative capability of hepatocellular carcinoma cells. NAT8L downregulation increases cell proliferation, while over-expression decreases cell growth. Mechanistically, NAT8L downregulation promotes aspartate outflow from mitochondria to enhance glucose flux into the pentose phosphate pathway, resulting in increased purine biosynthesis. These findings suggest that NAT8L plays a critical role in regulating cell proliferation through metabolic rewiring.
Review
Oncology
Giulia Pinton, Sara Boumya, Maria Rosa Ciriolo, Fabio Ciccarone
Summary: This review article explores the role of PARP-1 and poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation in gene expression, DNA repair pathways, and genomic stability, including their impact on chromatin remodelling. The article specifically focuses on how PARP-1 directly modifies histone proteins and enzymes involved in DNA/histone epigenetic modifications to shape chromatin structure during transcription and DNA damage response. Understanding the role of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation in regulating chromatin organization could provide insights into resistance mechanisms to PARP inhibitors and the clinical relevance of combining epigenetic drugs.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sergio Pineiro-Hermida, Giuseppe Bosso, Raul Sanchez-Vazquez, Paula Martinez, Maria A. Blasco
Summary: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a leading cause of cancer death, and tumor progression is influenced by the interaction between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment. Increased copy number and mRNA expression of TERT, a catalytic subunit of telomerase, is associated with decreased survival in NSCLC patients. Targeting telomeres may be an effective therapeutic approach in NSCLC treatment.
CELL DEATH AND DIFFERENTIATION
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Angelica Giuliani, Jacopo Sabbatinelli, Stefano Amatori, Laura Graciotti, Andrea Silvestrini, Giulia Matacchione, Deborah Ramini, Emanuela Mensa, Francesco Prattichizzo, Lucia Babini, Domenico Mattiucci, Elena Marinelli Busilacchi, Maria Giulia Bacalini, Emma Espinosa, Fabrizia Lattanzio, Antonio Domenico Procopio, Fabiola Olivieri, Antonella Poloni, Mirco Fanelli, Maria Rita Rippo
Summary: This study found that the expression of MeCP2 protein is downregulated during adipogenic differentiation of hBMSCs. This downregulation is not dependent on MeCP2 DNA methylation or mRNA levels, but on miRNA regulation. miR-422a and miR-483-5p are upregulated during adipogenic differentiation of hBMSCs. Modulation of miR-422a and miR-483-5p levels can affect MeCP2 expression and adipogenic differentiation.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Nutrition & Dietetics
Robertina Giacconi, Francesco Piacenza, Valentina Aversano, Michele Zampieri, Alexander Buerkle, Maria Moreno Villanueva, Martijn E. T. Dolle, Eugene Jansen, Tilman Grune, Efstathios S. Gonos, Claudio Franceschi, Miriam Capri, Birgit Weinberger, Ewa Sikora, Olivier Toussaint, Florence Debacq-Chainiaux, Wolfgang Stuetz, Pieternella Eline Slagboom, Juergen Bernhardt, Maria Luisa Fernandez-Sanchez, Mauro Provinciali, Marco Malavolta
Summary: Plasma selenium levels are influenced by age, sex, nutrition, and inflammation. Inadequate selenium intake can accelerate aging and increase the risk of age-related diseases.
Article
Cell Biology
Katarzyna Malgorzata Kwiatkowska, Eleni Mavrogonatou, Adamantia Papadopoulou, Claudia Sala, Luciano Calzari, Davide Gentilini, Maria Giulia Bacalini, Daniele Dall'Olio, Gastone Castellani, Francesco Ravaioli, Claudio Franceschi, Paolo Garagnani, Chiara Pirazzini, Dimitris Kletsas
Summary: The aim of this study was to characterize DNA methylation patterns in replicative and induced senescence in different human cell types. Three epigenetic signatures were identified: cell type- and treatment-specific signature, cell type-specific senescence-related signature, and cell type-transversal replicative senescence-related signature. Cluster analysis revealed distinct DNA methylation patterns in replicative senescent cells, and enrichment in pathways related to the nervous system was shown. Despite no statistically significant evidence of age acceleration, a trend of increased biological age in replicative senescent cultures of all three cell types was observed. This work highlights the heterogeneity of senescent cells and their impact on tissue homeostasis.
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Fabio Ciccarone, Serena Castelli, Giacomo Lazzarino, Silvia Scaricamazza, Renata Mangione, Sergio Bernardini, Savina Apolloni, Nadia D'Ambrosi, Alberto Ferri, Maria Rosa Ciriolo
Article
Cell Biology
Alessandra Dominicis, Alice Del Giovane, Matteo Torreggiani, Antonella Damiana Recchia, Fabio Ciccarone, Maria Rosa Ciriolo, Antonella Ragnini-Wilson
Summary: An unmet clinical goal in demyelinating pathologies is to restore the myelin sheath prior to neural degeneration. Our study investigated the effects of different concentrations of N-acetylaspartate (NAA) on the remyelination properties of oligodendroglial (OL) cells. We found that OL cells respond to decreasing levels of NAA by stimulating differentiation and promoting gene expression of myelin proteins.
Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Bastian Kochlik, Catrin Herpich, Maria Moreno-Villanueva, Susanne Klaus, Ursula Mueller-Werdan, Birgit Weinberger, Simone Fiegl, Olivier Toussaint, Florence Debacq-Chainiaux, Christiane Schoen, Juergen Bernhard, Nicolle Breusing, Efstathios S. Gonos, Claudio Franceschi, Miriam Capri, Ewa Sikora, Antti Hervonen, Mikko Hurme, P. Eline Slagboom, Martijn E. T. Dolle, Eugene Jansen, Tilman Grune, Alexander Buerkle, Kristina Norman
Summary: Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF15) is linked to cognitive frailty and depression, with high levels of GDF15 associated with both conditions. This study analyzed data from the MARK-AGE study and found that high GDF15 concentrations were significantly associated with combined cognitive-frailty-and-depression status in both older and younger adults. These associations remained significant even after adjusting for age, BMI, sex, comorbidities, and hsCRP.
Article
Cell Biology
Paula Martinez, Raul Sanchez-Vazquez, Arpita Saha, Maria S. Rodriguez-Duque, Sara Naranjo-Gonzalo, Joy S. Osorio-Chavez, Ana V. Villar-Ramos, Maria A. Blasco
Summary: The severity of COVID-19 increases with age, suggesting that organismal aging contributes to its fatality. Previous studies have shown that COVID-19 severity is correlated with shorter telomeres in patient's leukocytes. Lung injury is a prominent feature of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection, which can progress to lung fibrosis. In this study, we found that post-COVID-19 patients have shorter telomeres and increased lung fibrosis compared to age-matched controls with lung cancer, suggesting a link between short telomeres in ATII cells and long-term lung fibrosis in post-COVID-19 patients.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Joelle Giroud, Ines Bouriez, Hugo Paulus, Albin Pourtier, Florence Debacq-Chainiaux, Olivier Pluquet
Summary: Cellular senescence is a complex cell state that can occur during physiological aging or after exposure to stress signals, regardless of age. Senescent cells interact with their microenvironment by producing a heterogenous and plastic secretome referred to as the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). Understanding the cross-talk between SASP and the microenvironment is challenging due to the complexity of signal exchanges.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)