1. Differential DNA methylation and lymphocyte proportions in a Costa Rican high longevity region
- Author
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Michael S. Kobor, Alexander M. Morin, Rachel D. Edgar, William H. Dow, Julia L. MacIsaac, Luis Rosero-Bixby, David H. Rehkopf, Lisa M. McEwen, and Meaghan J. Jones
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ,Epigenomics ,Male ,Aging ,Microarray ,Epigenetic age ,Lymphocyte ,CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ,Epigenetica ,80 and over ,Immune aging ,Lymphocytes ,571.879 728 6 Longevidad ,media_common ,Genetics ,Aged, 80 and over ,education.field_of_study ,DNA methylation ,Longevity ,Middle Aged ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,Female ,Epigenetics ,Sequence Analysis ,Envejecimiento inmune ,Metilación de ADN ,Costa Rica ,lcsh:QH426-470 ,Biological age ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Population ,and over ,Biology ,03 medical and health sciences ,medicine ,Humans ,education ,Molecular Biology ,Aged ,Biodemografía ,Research ,Epigenome ,DNA ,Sequence Analysis, DNA ,Biodemography ,lcsh:Genetics ,030104 developmental biology ,Good Health and Well Being ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Longevidad ,Natural Killer T-Cells ,CpG Islands - Abstract
Background: The Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica has one of the highest old-age life expectancies in the world, but the underlying biological mechanisms of this longevity are not well understood. As DNA methylation is hypothesized to be a component of biological aging, we focused on this malleable epigenetic mark to determine its association with current residence in Nicoya versus elsewhere in Costa Rica. Examining a population’s unique DNA methylation pattern allows us to differentiate hallmarks of longevity from individual stochastic variation. These differences may be characteristic of a combination of social, biological, and environmental contexts. Methods: In a cross-sectional subsample of the Costa Rican Longevity and Healthy Aging Study, we compared whole blood DNA methylation profiles of residents from Nicoya (n = 48) and non-Nicoya (other Costa Rican regions, n = 47) using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 microarray. Results: We observed a number of differences that may be markers of delayed aging, such as bioinformatically derived differential CD8+ T cell proportions. Additionally, both site- and region-specific analyses revealed DNA methylation patterns unique to Nicoyans. We also observed lower overall variability in DNA methylation in the Nicoyan population, another hallmark of younger biological age. Conclusions: Nicoyans represent an interesting group of individuals who may possess unique immune cell proportions as well as distinct differences in their epigenome, at the level of DNA methylation. Center on the Economics and Demography of Aging/[P30AG012839]/CEDA/Estados Unidos Canadian Institute of Health Research/[F16-00910]/CIHR/Canadá R. Howard Webster Foundation/[F13-00031]//Canadá National Institute of Aging/[K01 AG047280]/NIA/Estados Unidos Wellcome Trust Grant/[072406]//Reino Unido Canadian Institute of Health Research/[F15‑04283]/CIHR/Canadá UCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Sociales::Centro Centroamericano de Población (CCP)
- Published
- 2017