Age and early life adversity shape heterogeneity of the epigenome across tissues in macaques
Abstract
Age and early life adversity (ELA) are key determinants of health, but whether they affect similar physiological mechanisms across tissues is unknown. We generated DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles across 14 tissues in 237 semi–free-ranging rhesus macaques with naturally occurring ELA. Age-associated DNAm was predominantly tissue dependent, yet tissue-specific epigenetic clocks showed that epigenetic aging was relatively consistent within individuals. ELA effects were adversity dependent, but each ELA exerted coordinated effects across tissues. Although ELA targeted many of the same loci as age, the directions of effects differed, which indicates that ELA does not uniformly increase epigenetic age. Instead, ELA leaves a coordinated, cross-tissue epigenetic signature that is distinct from—yet intertwined with—age-related differences, which advances our understanding of how early environments sculpt the molecular foundations of aging and disease.
Article Details
Journal Info
Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Authors (34)
Baptiste Sadoughi
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Rachel M. Petersen
Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Sam K. Patterson
Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
Elizabeth Slikas
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Christine Adjangba
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Nicholas Ryan
Yale University ,
Christina E. Costa
Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
Laura E. Newman
Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
Marina M. Watowich
Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Cameron R. Kelsey
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Ashlee Greenier
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Elisabeth A. Goldman
Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center, Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
Josué E. Negrón-Del Valle
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Daniel Phillips
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.
Indya Thompson
Center for Anatomical Sciences, University of North Texas Health Science Center, Fort Worth, TX, USA.
Samuel E. Bauman Surratt
Caribbean Primate Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico.
Olga González
Southwest National Primate Research Center, Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, TX, USA.
Nicole Compo
Caribbean Primate Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico.
Armando Burgos
Caribbean Primate Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico.
Alex R. DeCasien
Computational and Evolutionary Neurogenomics Unit, Laboratory of Neurogenetics, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Kenneth L. Chiou
Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA.
Christopher S. Walker
Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Angelina V. Ruiz Lambides
Caribbean Primate Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico.
Kirstin N. Sterner
Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA.
Amanda J. Lea
Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Susan C. Antón
Lauren J. N. Brent
Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
James P. Higham
Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA.
Melween I. Martínez
Caribbean Primate Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, Punta Santiago, Puerto Rico.
Amanda D. Melin
Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
Michael J. Montague
Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Michael L. Platt
Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Jerome Sallet
Noah Snyder-Mackler
School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA.