Epigenetic Mechanisms of Aging and Aging-Associated Diseases

Abstract

Aging is an inevitable outcome of life, characterized by a progressive decline in tissue and organ function. At a molecular level, it is marked by the gradual alterations of biomolecules. Indeed, important changes are observed on the DNA, as well as at a protein level, that are influenced by both genetic and environmental parameters. These molecular changes directly contribute to the development or progression of several human pathologies, including cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis, neurodegenerative disorders and others aging-related diseases. Additionally, they increase the risk of mortality. Therefore, deciphering the hallmarks of aging represents a possibility for identifying potential druggable targets to attenuate the aging process, and then the age-related comorbidities. Given the link between aging, genetic, and epigenetic alterations, and given the reversible nature of epigenetic mechanisms, the precisely understanding of these factors may provide a potential therapeutic approach for age-related decline and disease. In this review, we center on epigenetic regulatory mechanisms and their aging-associated changes, highlighting their inferences in age-associated diseases.

Keywords: aging; diseases; epigenetics; histone modifications; methylation.

Figure 1

Epigenetic changes in relation to age. The incorporation of different histone variants, altered histone modification and aberrant DNA methylation patterns entail an abnormal chromatin state with the intervention of chromatin modifiers. This abnormal epigenetic scenario induces altered transcriptional patterns and a transcriptional drift within the population.