Age-linked DNA tags varied between individual mouse cells
An analysis of 1,132 mouse white blood cells across four ages linked faster cell division to greater gains in chemical DNA tags.
Limit: DNA methylation served as a stand-in measure of cellular aging
Stake: Biotechnology funded the study.
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Researchers analyzed previously published DNA methylation data from 1,132 mouse white blood cells from animals aged 10, 36, 77 and 100 weeks. Methylation is chemical tagging of DNA. The researchers measured it at a selected set of DNA regions.
Methylation at these regions rose with age, but cells differed widely. Most cells had relatively low levels, while a subset had much higher levels, especially in older mice. Faster-dividing cell types showed a growing subset with accelerated methylation gain as age increased. In mouse T cells, a type of immune cell, methylation levels were also associated with changes in gene activity. The researchers reported similar cell-to-cell variation in additional mouse cell types and human blood-forming cells.
Why it matters
The work addresses whether cells within a tissue share an aging timetable. The authors suggest that programmed changes in DNA methylation may contribute to aging within individual cells.
Caveats
The study used DNA methylation as an index of cellular aging. These associations cannot establish that the DNA changes caused aging.
- DNA methylation
- Cell cycle regulation
- Epigenetic regulation of gene expression
- Cancer
- Neurodegenerative disease
- Gain of methylation at polycomb CpG islands
The paper
Cell-to-cell variability and gain of methylation at polycomb CpG islands as a hallmark of aging
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Nature Communications, Jun 9, 2026, Open access
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