The PedBE clock accurately estimates DNA methylation age in pediatric buccal cells

Lisa M. McEwen(University of British Columbia), Kieran J. O’Donnell(Canadian Institute for Advanced Research), Megan McGill(Douglas Mental Health University Institute), Rachel D. Edgar(University of British Columbia), Meaghan J. Jones(University of British Columbia), Julia L. MacIsaac(University of British Columbia), David Lin(University of British Columbia), Katia E. Ramadori(University of British Columbia), Alexander M. Morin(University of British Columbia), Nicole Gladish(University of British Columbia), Elika Garg(Douglas Mental Health University Institute), Eva Unternäehrer(Douglas Mental Health University Institute), Irina Pokhvisneva(Douglas Mental Health University Institute), Neerja Karnani(Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Michelle Z. L. Kee(Agency for Science, Technology and Research), Torsten Klengel(Harvard University), Nancy E. Adler(Canadian Institute for Advanced Research), Ronald G. Barr(Canadian Institute for Advanced Research), Nicole Letourneau(University of Calgary), Gerald F. Giesbrecht(University of Calgary), James N. Reynolds(Queen's University), Darina Czamara(Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry), Jeffrey M. Armstrong(University of Wisconsin–Madison), Marilyn J. Essex(University of Wisconsin–Madison), Carolina de Weerth(Radboud University Nijmegen), Roseriet Beijers(Radboud University Nijmegen), Marieke S. Tollenaar(Leiden University), Bekh Bradley(Emory University), Tanja Jovanović(Emory University), Kerry J. Ressler(Harvard University), Meir Steiner(St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton), Sonja Entringer(University of California, Irvine), Pathik D. Wadhwa(University of California, Irvine), Claudia Buß(Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Nicole R. Bush(University of California, San Francisco), Elisabeth B. Binder(Canadian Institute for Advanced Research), W. Thomas Boyce(Canadian Institute for Advanced Research), Michael J. Meaney(Canadian Institute for Advanced Research), Steve Horvath(University of California, Los Angeles), Michael S. Kobor(Canadian Institute for Advanced Research)
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
October 14, 2019
10.1073/pnas.1820843116
Cited by 284Open Access
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Abstract

Significance DNA methylation is the most studied modification in human population epigenetics. Its information content can be explored in 2 principal ways—epigenome-wide association studies and epigenetic age. The latter likely reflects cellular/biological age and works with impressive accuracy across most tissues. In adults, it associates with various environments and health. However, current epigenetic clocks are not very accurate in the pediatric age range perhaps because DNA methylation changes much faster in children. Addressing this crucial gap, we created a precise tool to estimate DNA methylation age specific to pediatric buccal epithelial cells. This tool has the potential to become the standard reference for epigenetic studies broadly relevant to child development across the spectrum from health to disease.

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