Epigenetic age in the mouse?

Why do we need to know how do mice age?

The mouse is an excellent model for studying not only human diseases but also the effect of the environment on the epigenetic age of mice.

The scientists from Germany and US developed a new way to predict biological aging in mice that needs methylation information from just three particular sections of the genome, associated with three genes: Prima1, Hsf4, and Kcns1. This epigenetic clock is able to accurately predict the chronological age of mice.

Even though this approach is much faster and less expensive than other epigenetic approaches to measuring aging, it has a similar level of accuracy to existing models.

The importance of discovery of epigenetic clock in mouse is useful for understanding “how the aging process is affected by genetic parameters, diet, or other environmental factors.”

The discovery of epigenetic clock in mice will deepen our understanding into mechanisms that regulate age-associated DNA methylation changes and for longevity intervention studies.

https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.37462.001