Expression of most retrotransposons in human blood correlates with biological aging.

ABSTRACT: Retrotransposons (RTEs) have been postulated to reactivate with age and contribute to aging through activated innate immune response and inflammation. Here, we analyzed the relationship between RTE expression and aging using published transcriptomic and methylomic datasets of human blood. Despite no observed correlation between RTE activity and chronological age, the expression of most RTE classes and families except short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) correlated with biological age-associated gene signature scores. Strikingly, we found that the expression of SINEs was linked to upregulated DNA repair pathways in multiple cohorts. We also observed DNA hypomethylation with aging and the significant increase in RTE expression level in hypomethylated RTEs except for SINEs. Additionall

SUBMITTER: Tsai YT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11486490 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature