The aging process is influenced by several factors, including the accumulation of mutations and the acquisition of epigenetic alterations throughout life. A recent study by Koch and colleagues demonstrates that these seemingly independent mechanisms interact: somatic mutations affect DNA methylation and epigenetic age predictions.
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Fig. 1: Connections between DNA mutations and DNA methylation.
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Acknowledgements
W. W. was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG: 363055819/GRK2415; WA 1706/12-2 within CRU344/417911533; WA1706/14-1; and by SFB 1506/1), and by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (VIP+: 03VP11580).
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Institute for Stem Cell Biology, RWTH Aachen University Medical School, Aachen, Germany
Wolfgang Wagner
Helmholtz-Institute for Biomedical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University Medical Faculty, Aachen, Germany
Wolfgang Wagner
Center for Integrated Oncology Aachen Bonn Cologne Düsseldorf (CIO ABCD), Aachen, Germany
Wolfgang Wagner
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Correspondence to Wolfgang Wagner.
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W. W. is cofounder of the company Cygenia GmbH (www.cygenia.com) that provides services for epigenetic analyses to other scientists.
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Wagner, W. Interplay of somatic mutations and epigenetic aging clocks. Nat Aging (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-025-00846-w
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Published:19 March 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-025-00846-w
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