Current understanding of DNA methylation and age-related disease

DNA methylation involves the covalent transfer of a methyl group to the C-5 position of the cytosine ring on a DNA strand. DNA methylation is both heritable and modifiable and can affect gene expression. In recent years, epigenome-wide association studies using high-throughput technologies have associated variation in DNA methylation levels with normal and pathological aging processes in human populations. DNA methylation patterns have been used to construct epigenetic clocks which can serve as potential biomarkers of age-related diseases. Age acceleration, as determined using these epigenetic clocks, has been strongly linked to common diseases including cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. Identification of these robust associations between DNA methylation and aging may provide new potential therapeutic avenues for preventing and treating age-related diseases. This review focuses on the role of DNA methylation in aging processes and recent advances in epigenome-wide association studies (EWASs) reporting associations between DNA methylation and age-related diseases