Methylation of <scp><i>ELOVL</i></scp><i>2</i> gene as a new epigenetic marker of age

TLDR

Biomarkers that predict biological age are a key goal in aging research, and recent focus has shifted to epigenetic markers. The study profiled whole‑blood DNA methylation with the Illumina 450K array in 64 individuals and validated the age‑correlated CpG islands of ELOVL2, FHL2, and PENK in 501 subjects using Sequenom EpiTYPER. ELOVL2 methylation rises progressively from birth, correlating strongly with age (Spearman r = 0.92), making it a promising aging biomarker.

Abstract

The discovery of biomarkers able to predict biological age of individuals is a crucial goal in aging research. Recently, researchers' attention has turn toward epigenetic markers of aging. Using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip on whole blood DNA from a small cohort of 64 subjects of different ages, we identified 3 regions, the CpG islands of ELOVL2, FHL2, and PENK genes, whose methylation level strongly correlates with age. These results were confirmed by the Sequenom's EpiTYPER assay on a larger cohort of 501 subjects from 9 to 99 years, including 7 cord blood samples. Among the 3 genes, ELOVL2 shows a progressive increase in methylation that begins since the very first stage of life (Spearman's correlation coefficient = 0.92) and appears to be a very promising biomarker of aging.