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DNA methylation and histone variants in aging and cancer

Adèle Mangelinck1, Carl Mann1

  • 1Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France.

International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology
|September 11, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Aging causes DNA methylation errors, impacting gene expression and biological age. Understanding these epigenetic changes offers new strategies for cancer therapy and interventions to reverse aging.

Area of Science:

  • Epigenetics
  • Molecular Biology
  • Gerontology

Background:

  • Aging is associated with molecular disorder, including DNA mutations and epigenetic drift, contributing to age-related diseases like cancer.
  • DNA methylation and histone variants undergo significant modifications during aging and in cancer, affecting gene regulation and genome stability.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review recent findings on DNA methylation and histone variant modifications in aging and cancer.
  • To explore the role of epigenetic alterations in biological aging and cancer development.
  • To discuss the therapeutic potential of targeting epigenetic modifications.

Main Methods:

  • Comprehensive literature review of studies in mice and humans.
  • Analysis of DNA methylation patterns and histone variant concentrations.
  • Evaluation of epigenetic clocks as biomarkers of biological age.

Main Results:

  • Errors in DNA methylation maintenance lead to global hypomethylation and focal hypermethylation, impacting tumor suppressor genes.
  • Epigenetic clocks, based on DNA methylation levels, serve as valuable metrics for biological age estimation.
  • Histone variant concentrations increase in aged chromatin, with cancer-related effects tied to their specific functions.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding epigenetic regulation during aging and cancer provides a basis for interventions to delay or reverse epigenetic aging.
  • Epigenetic modifications in cancer suggest novel therapeutic strategies targeting these alterations.
  • Epigenetic clocks offer a rapid readout for assessing the efficacy of anti-aging interventions.
Keywords:
AgingCancerDNA methylationEpigenetic clocksEpigeneticsHistone variantsSenescence

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