One of the most fascinating biological questions is “why do we age?”. Chronological age is not a reliable measure to assess the ageing process. To understand and control ageing, we therefore need tools and approaches to evaluate biological age. A plethora of studies in both human and murine models have shown that ageing is associated with changes in DNA methylation, a key epigenetic signature implicated in regulation of gene expression. More recently, the definition of the “epigenetic clocks” - a set of CpG sites, the DNA methylation levels of which can be used to measure subject age - has unveiled novel molecular markers to monitor ageing and assess a more accurate “epigenetic age”.
This Research Topic aims to elucidate the role of DNA methylation in the epigenetic clock so that it can possibly be used to measure, understand and decipher ageing in multiple physiological and pathological contexts. A multi-disciplinary and comprehensive approach integrating various scientific disciplines such as biology, computational and evolutionary biology, bioinformatics and molecular medicine is required here.
Outstanding progress has been achieved, however several challenging questions remain unsolved. In this Research Topic, we welcome both original research articles as well as reviews ushering in new molecular, biological and computational strategies to define DNA methylation-based or DNA methylation-dependent indicators of the epigenetic clock which will enable the discovery of novel targets for clinical intervention in ageing. Some specific questions that are of particular interest are:
• Can we separate drivers versus passengers of age-associated changes in single-cell, tissue- and specific physiological or pathological conditions?
• Do the “epigenetic clocks” correlate with other epigenetic marks?
• To what extent “epigenetic age and rate” change in disease state?
• Is DNA methylation an appropriate marker of healthy versus unhealthy ageing; put it simply is DNA methylation an inner biological clock?
One of the most fascinating biological questions is “why do we age?”. Chronological age is not a reliable measure to assess the ageing process. To understand and control ageing, we therefore need tools and approaches to evaluate biological age. A plethora of studies in both human and murine models have shown that ageing is associated with changes in DNA methylation, a key epigenetic signature implicated in regulation of gene expression. More recently, the definition of the “epigenetic clocks” - a set of CpG sites, the DNA methylation levels of which can be used to measure subject age - has unveiled novel molecular markers to monitor ageing and assess a more accurate “epigenetic age”.
This Research Topic aims to elucidate the role of DNA methylation in the epigenetic clock so that it can possibly be used to measure, understand and decipher ageing in multiple physiological and pathological contexts. A multi-disciplinary and comprehensive approach integrating various scientific disciplines such as biology, computational and evolutionary biology, bioinformatics and molecular medicine is required here.
Outstanding progress has been achieved, however several challenging questions remain unsolved. In this Research Topic, we welcome both original research articles as well as reviews ushering in new molecular, biological and computational strategies to define DNA methylation-based or DNA methylation-dependent indicators of the epigenetic clock which will enable the discovery of novel targets for clinical intervention in ageing. Some specific questions that are of particular interest are:
• Can we separate drivers versus passengers of age-associated changes in single-cell, tissue- and specific physiological or pathological conditions?
• Do the “epigenetic clocks” correlate with other epigenetic marks?
• To what extent “epigenetic age and rate” change in disease state?
• Is DNA methylation an appropriate marker of healthy versus unhealthy ageing; put it simply is DNA methylation an inner biological clock?