Epigenetic alterations in aging and aging-associated diseases: Review

Abstract

Aging is a complex physiological process comprising irreversible changes as a result of numerous of endogenous and exogenous factors at the level of all cells, tissues, organs and systems. Ageing is result of epigenetic alterations induced by both stochastic and environmental factors. Recent data have suggested an association between epigenetic modifications and aging. A variety of epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation increase in specific genes and global hypomethylation of repeat elements, histone tail modifications, chromatin rearrangements and short non-coding RNAs may have a role in physiological aging and associated with ageing associated diseases including cancer, Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, cardiovascular diseases and dementia. Some of the epigenetic modifications may have a direct throughput on aging or aging-associated diseases; however the function of others may depend on the effect environmental factors or if they transmitted from one generation to the next. In addition, the contribution of non-coding RNAs to chromatin structure and its potential role in regulation gene expression is another promising area of research. In this regard, epigenetics has emerged as one of the promising research areas in understanding aging. Understanding the mechanisms by which epigenetics can influence the aging will be essential for the development of preventative strategies ageing associated diseases. We aimed to review some epigenetic regulation pathways that contribute to cellular senescence and ageing associated phenotypes.