2023
More than bad luck: Cancer and aging are linked to replication-driven changes to the epigenome
Minteer C, Thrush K, Gonzalez J, Niimi P, Rozenblit M, Rozowsky J, Liu J, Frank M, McCabe T, Sehgal R, Higgins-Chen A, Hofstatter E, Pusztai L, Beckman K, Gerstein M, Levine M. More than bad luck: Cancer and aging are linked to replication-driven changes to the epigenome. Science Advances 2023, 9: eadf4163. PMID: 37467337, PMCID: PMC10355820, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adf4163.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsStem cell divisionImmortalized human cellsTissue-specific cancer riskTumorigenic stateCell divisionDNA methylationEpigenetic changesAge-related accumulationHuman cellsMultiple tissuesSomatic mutationsClinical tissuesTissue differencesEpigenomeCellsTissueNormal tissuesMethylationMutationsReplicationNormal breast tissueSignaturesVitroAccumulationDivisionThe Cutting Edge of Epigenetic Clocks: In Search of Mechanisms Linking Aging and Mental Health
Harvanek Z, Boks M, Vinkers C, Higgins-Chen A. The Cutting Edge of Epigenetic Clocks: In Search of Mechanisms Linking Aging and Mental Health. Biological Psychiatry 2023, 94: 694-705. PMID: 36764569, PMCID: PMC10409884, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.02.001.Peer-Reviewed Reviews, Practice Guidelines, Standards, and Consensus Statements
2022
Aging the brain: multi-region methylation principal component based clock in the context of Alzheimer’s disease
Thrush KL, Bennett DA, Gaiteri C, Horvath S, Dyck CHV, Higgins-Chen AT, Levine ME. Aging the brain: multi-region methylation principal component based clock in the context of Alzheimer’s disease. Aging 2022, 14: 5641-5668. PMID: 35907208, PMCID: PMC9365556, DOI: 10.18632/aging.204196.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAgingAlzheimer DiseaseBrainDNA MethylationEpigenesis, GeneticHumansReproducibility of ResultsConceptsDisease risk increasesBrain agingAD brain tissueΕ4 carrier statusClinical AD dementiaMultiple brain regionsEpigenetic alterationsReligious Orders StudyAD dementiaTest-retest reliabilityCortical samplesAD riskEpigenetic age accelerationSubcortical regionsPathologic ADAlzheimer's diseaseBrain regionsBrain tissueEpigenetic clocksCarrier statusStrong associationRush MemoryAge accelerationRisk increaseAging ProjectA computational solution for bolstering reliability of epigenetic clocks: implications for clinical trials and longitudinal tracking
Higgins-Chen AT, Thrush KL, Wang Y, Minteer CJ, Kuo PL, Wang M, Niimi P, Sturm G, Lin J, Moore AZ, Bandinelli S, Vinkers CH, Vermetten E, Rutten BPF, Geuze E, Okhuijsen-Pfeifer C, van der Horst MZ, Schreiter S, Gutwinski S, Luykx JJ, Picard M, Ferrucci L, Crimmins EM, Boks MP, Hägg S, Hu-Seliger TT, Levine ME. A computational solution for bolstering reliability of epigenetic clocks: implications for clinical trials and longitudinal tracking. Nature Aging 2022, 2: 644-661. PMID: 36277076, PMCID: PMC9586209, DOI: 10.1038/s43587-022-00248-2.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchTick tock, tick tock: Mouse culture and tissue aging captured by an epigenetic clock
Minteer C, Morselli M, Meer M, Cao J, Higgins‐Chen A, Lang SM, Pellegrini M, Yan Q, Levine ME. Tick tock, tick tock: Mouse culture and tissue aging captured by an epigenetic clock. Aging Cell 2022, 21: e13553. PMID: 35104377, PMCID: PMC8844113, DOI: 10.1111/acel.13553.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMouse embryonic fibroblastsDNA methylationEpigenetic agingImportant chromatin regulatorsPolycomb group (PcG) factorsAnti-aging interventionsChromatin regulatorsEmbryonic fibroblastsCellular senescenceTissue agingCellular agingEpigenetic clocksMultiple tissuesMouse tissuesCaloric restrictionMechanistic insightsAging changesKidney fibroblastsReduced representationTime pointsPhysiological agingMouse culturesSuch alterationsTick-TockTissue
2021
A systematic review of biological, social and environmental factors associated with epigenetic clock acceleration
Oblak L, van der Zaag J, Higgins-Chen AT, Levine ME, Boks MP. A systematic review of biological, social and environmental factors associated with epigenetic clock acceleration. Ageing Research Reviews 2021, 69: 101348. PMID: 33930583, DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2021.101348.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2020
Schizophrenia and Epigenetic Aging Biomarkers: Increased Mortality, Reduced Cancer Risk, and Unique Clozapine Effects
Higgins-Chen AT, Boks MP, Vinkers CH, Kahn RS, Levine ME. Schizophrenia and Epigenetic Aging Biomarkers: Increased Mortality, Reduced Cancer Risk, and Unique Clozapine Effects. Biological Psychiatry 2020, 88: 224-235. PMID: 32199607, PMCID: PMC7368835, DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2020.01.025.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAgingBiomarkersClozapineDNA MethylationEpigenesis, GeneticHumansMaleNeoplasmsSchizophreniaConceptsAge-associated proteinsEpigenetic clocksDNA methylation data setsMethylation data setsEpigenetic ageing biomarkersReduced cancer riskCD8 T cellsBody mass indexLong-term outcomesHorvath's epigenetic clockLower cancer ratesDNA methylationDNA methylation predictorsBiological age differencesMitotic clockMitotic divisionAge clocksCause mortalityNatural killerMass indexEarly mortalityMedication dataSZ casesClozapine's effectIncreased Mortality