Age-related DNA methylation changes are sex-specific: a comprehensive assessment
Igor Yusipov, Maria Giulia Bacalini, Alena Kalyakulina, Mikhail Krivonosov, Chiara Pirazzini, Noémie Gensous, Francesco Ravaioli, Maddalena Milazzo, Cristina Giuliani, Maria V. Vedunova, Giovanni Fiorito, Amedeo Gagliardi, Silvia Polidoro, Paolo Garagnani, Mikhail Ivanchenko, Claudio Franceschi
Abstract
genes and showed sex-specific deviations of their methylation patterns in models of decelerated (centenarians) and accelerated (Down syndrome) aging. While we did not find sex differences in the age-associated increase in epimutations and entropy, we showed that the number of probes having an age-related increase in methylation variability is 15 times higher in males compared to females. Our results can offer new epigenetic tools to study the interaction between aging and sex and can pave the way to the identification of molecular triggers of sex differences in longevity and age-related diseases prevalence.