The ageing epigenome and its rejuvenation

• Published in: Nature reviews. Molecular cell biology Vol. 21; no. 3; pp. 137 - 150
• Main Authors: Zhang, Weiqi, Qu, Jing, Liu, Guang-Hui, Belmonte, Juan Carlos Izpisua
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 01-03-2020; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/136/7; 631/208/176; Ablation; Aging; Aging - genetics; Animals; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cancer Research; Cell Biology; Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly - genetics; Chromatin remodeling; Control; Delay; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Developmental Biology; Disorders; DNA; DNA methylation; DNA Methylation - genetics; Epigenesis, Genetic - genetics; Epigenetic inheritance; Epigenetics; Epigenome - genetics; Epigenomics - methods; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation - genetics; Gene regulation; Genetic aspects; Health aspects; Histone Code - genetics; Histones; Humans; Life Sciences; Life span; Longevity - genetics; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Metabolism; Non-coding RNA; Organs; Parabiosis; Rejuvenation; Rejuvenation - physiology; Review Article; Stem Cells; China
• ISSN: 1471-0072; 1471-0080
• DOI: 10.1038/s41580-019-0204-5

Ageing is characterized by the functional decline of tissues and organs and the increased risk of ageing-associated disorders. Several ‘rejuvenating’ interventions have been proposed to delay ageing and the onset of age-associated decline and disease to extend healthspan and lifespan. These interventions include metabolic manipulation, partial reprogramming, heterochronic parabiosis, pharmaceutical administration and senescent cell ablation. As the ageing process is associated with altered epigenetic mechanisms of gene regulation, such as DNA methylation, histone modification and chromatin remodelling, and non-coding RNAs, the manipulation of these mechanisms is central to the effectiveness of age-delaying interventions. This Review discusses the epigenetic changes that occur during ageing and the rapidly increasing knowledge of how these epigenetic mechanisms have an effect on healthspan and lifespan extension, and outlines questions to guide future research on interventions to rejuvenate the epigenome and delay ageing processes.
Ageing is characterized by the functional decline of tissues and organs and increased risk of ageing-associated disorders, and this decline is associated with epigenetic changes. Recently, ‘rejuvenating’ interventions, such as metabolic manipulation, partial cell reprogramming, heterochronic parabiosis and senescent cell ablation, have been proposed to extend healthspan and lifespan by modulating the epigenome.