An evolutionary perspective of lifespan and epigenetic inheritance

Mc Auley, Mark T.

Abstract

In the last decade epigenetics has come to the fore as a discipline which is central to biogerontology. Age associated epigenetic changes are routinely linked with pathologies, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease; moreover, epigenetic clocks are capable of correlating biological age with chronological age in many species including humans. Recent intriguing empirical observations also suggest that inherited epigenetic effects could influence lifespan/longevity in a variety of organisms. If this is the case, an imperative exists to reconcile lifespan/longevity associated inherited epigenetic processes with the evolution of ageing. This review will critically evaluate inherited epigenetic effects from an evolutionary perspective. The overarching aim is to integrate the evidence which suggests epigenetic inheritance modulates lifespan/longevity with the main evolutionary theories of ageing.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 12, 2023
• Publication Date: 2023-08
• Deposit Date: Feb 19, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 24, 2025
• Journal: Experimental Gerontology
• Print ISSN: 0531-5565
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 179
• Pages: 112256
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2023.112256
• Additional Information: This article is maintained by: Elsevier; Article Title: An evolutionary perspective of lifespan and epigenetic inheritance; Journal Title: Experimental Gerontology; CrossRef DOI link to publisher maintained version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2023.112256; Content Type: article; Copyright: © 2023 Published by Elsevier Inc.