DNA methylation (DNAm) is one of the most reliable biomarkers of aging across mammalian tissues. While the age-dependent global loss of DNAm has been well characterized, DNAm gain is less characterized. Studies have demonstrated that CpGs which gain methylation with age are enriched in Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) targets. However, whole-genome examination of all PRC2 targets as well as determination of the pan-tissue or tissue-specific nature of these associations is lacking. Here, we show that low-methylated regions (LMRs) which are highly bound by PRC2 in embryonic stem cells (PRC2 LMRs) gain methylation with age in all examined somatic mitotic cells. We estimated that this epigenetic change represents around 90% of the age-dependent DNAm gain genome-wide. Therefore, we propose the "PRC2-AgeIndex," defined as the average DNAm in PRC2 LMRs, as a universal biomarker of cellular aging in somatic cells which can distinguish the effect of different anti-aging interventions.

PRC2-AgeIndex as a universal biomarker of aging and rejuvenation