The transcriptional landscape of age in human peripheral blood

Disease incidences increase with age, but the molecular characteristics of ageing that lead to increased disease susceptibility remain inadequately understood. Here we perform a whole-blood gene expression meta-analysis in 14,983 individuals of European ancestry (including replication) and identify 1,497 genes that are differentially expressed with chronological age. The age-associated genes do not harbor more age-associated CpG-methylation sites than other genes, but are instead enriched for the presence of potentially functional CpG-methylation sites in enhancer and insulator regions that associate with both chronological age and gene expression levels. We further used the gene expression profiles to…

• EC
  European Commission

  Awards: HEALTH-F2-2008 35627, 201865, HEALTH-F2-2008-201865
• NO
  Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek

  Awards: 911-03-012, 050-060-810, 175.010.2005.011, 917103521
• NH
  National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

  Award: R01HL105756