Age-related Chromatin Remodeling: Loss of Epigenetic Info or the Hijacking of Maturation?July 22, 2024In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except Spain winning at football and age-related chromatin remodeling! While this remodeling was thought to drive aging via the loss of epigenetic information, new research provides evidence for the “hijacking” of developmental maturation via activator protein 1 (AP-1)-activity as a major player. Surefire researchers “captained” […]
Attacking Aging with TAC: A TERT Activator CompoundJuly 8, 2024Aching joints and wrinkled skin are an unwelcome part of aging, but in the future, you might be able to avoid arthritis medications and cosmetic procedures by getting a shot of TERT activator compound (TAC). A young-at-heart team identified this small molecule, which increases transcription of a telomerase subunit called TERT. The upshot is that […]
cfDNA Methylation Analysis Captures the Double Trouble of Inflammaging!July 1, 2024Analyzing cell-free (cf)DNA methylation from liquid biopsies represents a non-invasive approach to profile various diseases, but what if it could help us understand the devious duo of inflammaging – aging and inflammation? A talented team has dealt with this “double trouble” by applying enzymatic methyl-seq (EM-seq) to evaluate cfDNA methylation patterns. Researchers headed by Jian-Ping […]
DNA Methylation Differences in Imprinting Control Regions Contribute to Ethnic Disparities in Alzheimer’s Disease RiskMay 28, 2024Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) patients have a two-fold higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than non-Hispanic White (NHW) patients for unknown reasons; now, a fascinating epigenetics study reveals the involvement of DNA methylation at imprinting control regions (ICRs). Researchers headed by Randy L. Jirtle and Cathrine Hoyo (North Carolina State University) explored ethnic variation in disease […]
Pregnancy Epigenetically Ages Mothers – But Breastfeeding May Reverse ItApril 22, 2024Our mothers might be onto something when they jokingly blame us for their gray hair and wrinkles. In two recent studies, DNA methylation-based epigenetic clocks show that pregnancy, with its far-ranging emotional and physical changes, increases the biological ages of mothers. On the bright side, the effects were reversible in those who breastfed, according to […]
