Sex‐Chromosome‐Dependent Ageing in Female Heterogametic Methylomes

ABSTRACT Recent research in humans and both model and non‐model animals has shown that DNA methylation (DNAm), an epigenetic modification, is one of the mechanisms underlying the ageing process. DNAm‐based indices predict mortality and provide valuable insights into biological ageing mechanisms. Alt...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular ecology Vol. 34; no. 22; pp. e70147 - n/a
Main Authors: Tangili, Marianthi, Sudyka, Joanna, Furni, Fabricio, Palsbøll, Per J., Verhulst, Simon
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.11.2025
Subjects:
Age
Age composition
Aging
Aging (biology)
Aging - genetics
Animals
avian sex chromosomes
Chromosomes
CpG islands
CpG Islands - genetics
Crows - genetics
Cytosine
DNA methylation
DNA Methylation - genetics
Epigenesis, Genetic
Epigenetics
Epigenome - genetics
Female
female heterogametic
Females
Finches - genetics
Genomes
Life span
Male
Sex
Sex chromosomes
Sex Chromosomes - genetics
sex‐dependent ageing
W chromosomes
Z chromosomes
sex‐dependent ageing
DNA methylation
female heterogametic
avian sex chromosomes
ISSN:0962-1083, 1365-294X, 1365-294X
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:ABSTRACT Recent research in humans and both model and non‐model animals has shown that DNA methylation (DNAm), an epigenetic modification, is one of the mechanisms underlying the ageing process. DNAm‐based indices predict mortality and provide valuable insights into biological ageing mechanisms. Although sex‐dependent differences in lifespan are ubiquitous and sex chromosomes are thought to play an important role in sex‐specific ageing, they have been largely ignored in epigenetic ageing studies. We characterised the genome‐wide distribution of age‐related CpG (Cytosine‐phosphate‐Guanine) sites from longitudinal samples in two avian species (zebra finch and jackdaw), including for the first time the avian sex chromosomes (Z and the female‐specific, haploid W). In both species, we find a small fraction of the CpG sites to show age‐related changes in DNAm with the majority of them being located on the haploid, female‐specific W chromosome, where DNAm levels predominantly decrease with age. Age‐related CpG sites were over‐represented on the zebra finch but under‐represented on the jackdaw Z chromosome. Our results highlight distinct age‐related changes in sex chromosome DNAm compared to the rest of the genome in two avian species, suggesting this previously understudied feature of sex chromosomes may be instrumental in sex‐dependent ageing. Moreover, studying the DNAm of sex chromosomes might be particularly useful in ageing research, facilitating the identification of shared (sex‐dependent) age‐related pathways and processes between phylogenetically diverse organisms.
Bibliography:Funding
Marianthi Tangili and Joanna Sudyka contributed equally to this study.
M.T. was supported by an Adaptive Life Scholarship awarded by the University of Groningen. J.S. received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska‐Curie grant agreement no. 101025890. Contributions by F.B. and P.J.P. were supported by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Skłodowska‐Curie grant agreement no. 813383 and the University of Groningen.
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ISSN:0962-1083
1365-294X
1365-294X
DOI:10.1111/mec.70147