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Vo BT, Mas P, Johannes F. Time's up: Epigenetic clocks in plants. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 81:102602. [PMID: 39024859 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2024.102602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
For over a decade, the animal field has led the way in using DNA methylation measurements to construct epigenetic clocks of aging. These clocks can predict organismal age with a level of accuracy that surpasses any other molecular proxy known to date. Evidence is finally emerging that epigenetic clocks also exist in plants. However, these clocks appear to differ from those in animals in some key aspects, including in their ability to measure time beyond the life span of an individual. Clock-like epigenetic changes can be found in plant circadian rhythms (scale: 24 h), during plant aging (scale: weeks/centuries), and across plant lineage evolution (scale: decades/millennia). Here, we provide a first classification of these different types of epigenetic clocks, highlight their main features, and discuss their biological basis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binh Thanh Vo
- Plant Epigenomics, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, 85354, Freising, Germany
| | - Paloma Mas
- Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), CSIC-IRTA-UAB-UB, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain; Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Frank Johannes
- Plant Epigenomics, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, 85354, Freising, Germany.
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Liu S, Xu H, Wang G, Jin B, Cao F, Wang L. Tree Longevity: Multifaceted Genetic Strategies and Beyond. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2024. [PMID: 39254418 DOI: 10.1111/pce.15146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2024] [Revised: 08/22/2024] [Accepted: 08/24/2024] [Indexed: 09/11/2024]
Abstract
Old trees are remarkable for their ability to endure for centuries or even millennia, acting as recordkeepers of historical climate and custodians of genetic diversity. The secret to their longevity has long been a subject of fascination. Despite the challenges associated with studying old trees, such as massive size, slow growth rate, long lifespan and often remote habitat, accumulating studies have investigated the mechanisms underlying tree aging and longevity over the past decade. The recent publication of high-quality genomes of long-lived tree species, coupled with research on stem cell function and secondary metabolites in longevity, has brought us closer to unlocking the secrets of arboreal longevity. This review provides an overview of the global distribution of old trees and examines the environmental and anthropogenic factors that shape their presence. We summarize the contributions of physiological characteristics, stem cell activity, and immune system responses to their extraordinary longevity. We also explore the genetic and epigenetic 'longevity code', which consists of resistance and defense genes, DNA repair genes and patterns of DNA methylation modification. Further, we highlight key areas for future research that could enhance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying tree longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sian Liu
- College of Horticulture and Landscape, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Huimin Xu
- College of Biological Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China
| | - Guibin Wang
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
| | - Biao Jin
- College of Horticulture and Landscape, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
| | - Fuliang Cao
- Co-Innovation Center for Sustainable Forestry in Southern China, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing, China
| | - Li Wang
- College of Horticulture and Landscape, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China
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Feng J, Dan X, Cui Y, Gong Y, Peng M, Sang Y, Ingvarsson PK, Wang J. Integrating evolutionary genomics of forest trees to inform future tree breeding amid rapid climate change. PLANT COMMUNICATIONS 2024:101044. [PMID: 39095989 DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2024.101044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 07/31/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Global climate change is leading to rapid and drastic shifts in environmental conditions, posing threats to biodiversity and nearly all life forms worldwide. Forest trees serve as foundational components of terrestrial ecosystems and play a crucial and leading role in combating and mitigating the adverse effects of extreme climate events, despite their own vulnerability to these threats. Therefore, understanding and monitoring how natural forests respond to rapid climate change is a key priority for biodiversity conservation. Recent progress in evolutionary genomics, driven primarily by cutting-edge multi-omics technologies, offers powerful new tools to address several key issues. These include precise delineation of species and evolutionary units, inference of past evolutionary histories and demographic fluctuations, identification of environmentally adaptive variants, and measurement of genetic load levels. As the urgency to deal with more extreme environmental stresses grows, understanding the genomics of evolutionary history, local adaptation, future responses to climate change, and conservation and restoration of natural forest trees will be critical for research at the nexus of global change, population genomics, and conservation biology. In this review, we explore the application of evolutionary genomics to assess the effects of global climate change using multi-omics approaches and discuss the outlook for breeding of climate-adapted trees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiajun Feng
- Key Laboratory for Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xuming Dan
- Key Laboratory for Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yangkai Cui
- Key Laboratory for Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yi Gong
- Key Laboratory for Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Minyue Peng
- Key Laboratory for Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Yupeng Sang
- Key Laboratory for Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Pär K Ingvarsson
- Department of Plant Biology, Linnean Centre for Plant Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Jing Wang
- Key Laboratory for Bio-Resources and Eco-Environment of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
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Bertucci-Richter EM, Shealy EP, Parrott BB. Epigenetic drift underlies epigenetic clock signals, but displays distinct responses to lifespan interventions, development, and cellular dedifferentiation. Aging (Albany NY) 2024; 16:1002-1020. [PMID: 38285616 PMCID: PMC10866415 DOI: 10.18632/aging.205503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024]
Abstract
Changes in DNA methylation with age are observed across the tree of life. The stereotypical nature of these changes can be modeled to produce epigenetic clocks capable of predicting chronological age with unprecedented accuracy. Despite the predictive ability of epigenetic clocks and their utility as biomarkers in clinical applications, the underlying processes that produce clock signals are not fully resolved, which limits their interpretability. Here, we develop a computational approach to spatially resolve the within read variability or "disorder" in DNA methylation patterns and test if age-associated changes in DNA methylation disorder underlie signals comprising epigenetic clocks. We find that epigenetic clock loci are enriched in regions that both accumulate and lose disorder with age, suggesting a link between DNA methylation disorder and epigenetic clocks. We then develop epigenetic clocks that are based on regional disorder of DNA methylation patterns and compare their performance to other epigenetic clocks by investigating the influences of development, lifespan interventions, and cellular dedifferentiation. We identify common responses as well as critical differences between canonical epigenetic clocks and those based on regional disorder, demonstrating a fundamental decoupling of epigenetic aging processes. Collectively, we identify key linkages between epigenetic disorder and epigenetic clocks and demonstrate the multifaceted nature of epigenetic aging in which stochastic processes occurring at non-random loci produce predictable outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M. Bertucci-Richter
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC 29802, USA
- Eugene P. Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Ethan P. Shealy
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC 29802, USA
- Eugene P. Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
- Interdisciplinary Toxicology Program, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Benjamin B. Parrott
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC 29802, USA
- Eugene P. Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
- Interdisciplinary Toxicology Program, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
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D'Amico-Willman KM, Niederhuth CE, Sovic MG, Anderson ES, Gradziel TM, Fresnedo-Ramírez J. Hypermethylation and small RNA expression are associated with increased age in almond (Prunus dulcis [Mill.] D.A. Webb) accessions. PLANT SCIENCE : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PLANT BIOLOGY 2024; 338:111918. [PMID: 37956826 DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2023.111918] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Revised: 10/20/2023] [Accepted: 11/04/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023]
Abstract
The focus of this study is to profile changes in DNA methylation and small RNA expression occurring with increased age in almond breeding germplasm to identify possible biomarkers of age that can be used to assess the potential of individuals to develop aging-related disorders. To profile DNA methylation in almond germplasm, 70 methylomes were generated from almond individuals representing three age cohorts (11, 7, and 2 years old) using an enzymatic methyl-seq approach followed by analysis to call differentially methylated regions (DMRs) within these cohorts. Small RNA (sRNA) expression was profiled in three breeding selections, each from two age cohorts (1 and 6 years old), using sRNA-Seq followed by differential expression analysis. Weighted chromosome-level methylation analysis reveals hypermethylation in 11-year-old almond breeding selections when compared to 2-year-old selections in the CG and CHH contexts. Seventeen consensus DMRs were identified in all age contrasts. sRNA expression differed significantly between the two age cohorts tested, with significantly decreased expression in sRNAs in the 6-year-old selections compared to the 1-year-old. Almond shows a pattern of hypermethylation and decreased sRNA expression with increased age. Identified DMRs and differentially expressed sRNAs could function as putative biomarkers of age following validation in additional age groups.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chad E Niederhuth
- Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Michael G Sovic
- Center for Applied Plant Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Elizabeth S Anderson
- Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691, USA
| | - Thomas M Gradziel
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Jonathan Fresnedo-Ramírez
- Translational Plant Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Center for Applied Plant Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA; Department of Horticulture and Crop Science, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, Wooster, OH 44691, USA.
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Arai K, Qi H, Inoue-Murayama M. Age estimation of captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) based on DNA methylation: An exploratory analysis using methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting (MS-HRM). PLoS One 2023; 18:e0294994. [PMID: 38079426 PMCID: PMC10712859 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Age is an important parameter for bettering the understanding of biodemographic trends-development, survival, reproduction and environmental effects-critical for conservation. However, current age estimation methods are challenging to apply to many species, and no standardised technique has been adopted yet. This study examined the potential use of methylation-sensitive high-resolution melting (MS-HRM), a labour-, time-, and cost-effective method to estimate chronological age from DNA methylation in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus). The objective of this study was to investigate the accuracy and validation of MS-HRM use for age determination in long-lived species, such as Asian elephants. The average lifespan of Asian elephants is between 50-70 years but some have been known to survive for more than 80 years. DNA was extracted from 53 blood samples of captive Asian elephants across 11 zoos in Japan, with known ages ranging from a few months to 65 years. Methylation rates of two candidate age-related epigenetic genes, RALYL and TET2, were significantly correlated with chronological age. Finally, we established a linear, unisex age estimation model with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 7.36 years. This exploratory study suggests an avenue to further explore MS-HRM as an alternative method to estimate the chronological age of Asian elephants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kana Arai
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Huiyuan Qi
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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Batalova AY, Krutovsky KV. Genetic and Epigenetic Mechanisms of Longevity in Forest Trees. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10403. [PMID: 37373550 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241210403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Revised: 06/15/2023] [Accepted: 06/16/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Trees are unique in terms of development, sustainability and longevity. Some species have a record lifespan in the living world, reaching several millennia. The aim of this review is to summarize the available data on the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of longevity in forest trees. In this review, we have focused on the genetic aspects of longevity of a few well-studied forest tree species, such as Quercus robur, Ginkgo biloba, Ficus benghalensis and F. religiosa, Populus, Welwitschia and Dracaena, as well as on interspecific genetic traits associated with plant longevity. A key trait associated with plant longevity is the enhanced immune defense, with the increase in gene families such as RLK, RLP and NLR in Quercus robur, the expansion of the CC-NBS-LRR disease resistance families in Ficus species and the steady expression of R-genes in Ginkgo biloba. A high copy number ratio of the PARP1 family genes involved in DNA repair and defense response was found in Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pinus sylvestris and Malus domestica. An increase in the number of copies of the epigenetic regulators BRU1/TSK/MGO3 (maintenance of meristems and genome integrity) and SDE3 (antiviral protection) was also found in long-lived trees. CHG methylation gradually declines in the DAL 1 gene in Pinus tabuliformis, a conservative age biomarker in conifers, as the age increases. It was shown in Larix kaempferi that grafting, cutting and pruning change the expression of age-related genes and rejuvenate plants. Thus, the main genetic and epigenetic mechanisms of longevity in forest trees were considered, among which there are both general and individual processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Y Batalova
- Genome Research and Education Center, Laboratory of Forest Genomics, Department of Genomics and Bioinformatics, Institute of Fundamental Biology and Biotechnology, Siberian Federal University, 660036 Krasnoyarsk, Russia
| | - Konstantin V Krutovsky
- Genome Research and Education Center, Laboratory of Forest Genomics, Department of Genomics and Bioinformatics, Institute of Fundamental Biology and Biotechnology, Siberian Federal University, 660036 Krasnoyarsk, Russia
- Department of Forest Genetics and Forest Tree Breeding, Faculty of Forest Sciences and Forest Ecology, Georg-August University of Göttingen, Büsgenweg 2, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Center for Integrated Breeding Research (CiBreed), Georg-August University of Göttingen, Albrecht-Thaer-Weg 3, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
- Laboratory of Population Genetics, N.I. Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Gubkin Str. 3, 119333 Moscow, Russia
- Scientific and Methodological Center, G.F. Morozov Voronezh State University of Forestry and Technologies, Timiryazeva Str. 8, 394036 Voronezh, Russia
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DNA methylation-based profiling of horse archaeological remains for age-at-death and castration. iScience 2023; 26:106144. [PMID: 36843848 PMCID: PMC9950528 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Revised: 01/02/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Age profiling of archaeological bone assemblages can inform on past animal management practices, but is limited by the fragmentary nature of the fossil record and the lack of universal skeletal markers for age. DNA methylation clocks offer new, albeit challenging, alternatives for estimating the age-at-death of ancient individuals. Here, we take advantage of the availability of a DNA methylation clock based on 31,836 CpG sites and dental age markers in horses to assess age predictions in 84 ancient remains. We evaluate our approach using whole-genome sequencing data and develop a capture assay providing reliable estimates for only a fraction of the cost. We also leverage DNA methylation patterns to assess castration practice in the past. Our work opens for a deeper characterization of past husbandry and ritual practices and holds the potential to reveal age mortality profiles in ancient societies, once extended to human remains.
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