What does the research say about regional DNA methylation?

Regional DNA methylation

There are 2 papers on regional DNA methylation in aging research: none in people yet, 2 in animals. The newest story, Nov 5, 2026: “DNA marks are more variable in older rhesus macaque brains”.

Biomarker

2 papers study it3 more mention it2 findings

2 new papers in 30 daysSee all 5 papers on regional DNA methylation

Animals2

Associations

Age

mixedin rhesus monkeys1

1 study

Age is associated with regional DNA methylation in rhesus monkeys (5163 age-associated methylation regions; midlife inflections at 12.3 and 13.2 years).
“Region-level modeling identified 5163 age-associated methylation regions exhibiting both monotonic and nonlinear trajectories across age.”
Animalshippocampusn = 86
DNA marks are more variable in older rhesus macaque brains
Experimental gerontologyNov 4, 2026

Older age

mixedin rats1

1 study

Older age is associated with regional DNA methylation in rats (old and old calorie-restricted rats compared with young rats).
“CpG islands and repetitive regions were hypomethylated, but 5'-UTR, exon, and 3'-UTR hypermethylated in old and OCR rats.”
Animalsold and old calorie-restricted rats compared with young ratskidney
Short-term calorie restriction ameliorates genomewide, age-related alterations in DNA methylation
Aging cellAug 25, 2016

Latest

3 papers in 12 months

Experimental GerontologyNov 5

DNA marks are more variable in older rhesus macaque brains

An observational analysis of 86 hippocampus samples spanning about 3–35 years linked older age to greater variation in chemical marks on DNA.An observational analysis of 86 hippocampus samples spanning about 3–35 years linked older age to greater variation in chemical marks on DNA.

Cross-sectional studyMechanisms