Epigenetics
Epigenetic alteration
/ˌepəjəˈnedik ˌôltəˈrāSHən/
A change in the chemical structure of DNA that does not change the DNA coding sequence. As cells are exposed to environmental factors, they are subject to different types of epigenetic alterations: changes in DNA methylation patterns, histone modifications, and chromatin remodeling. These changes, which impact gene expression, accumulate over time and have been correlated with aging. Because DNA methylation patterns change reliably with age-related comorbidities along with lifestyle and environmental factors, epigenetic clocks like Index can be used to predict biological age.