SREL Reprint #3812

DNA methylation-based age prediction and sex-specific epigenetic aging in a lizard with female-biased longevity

Ethan P. Shealy1,2,3, Tonia S. Schwartz4, Robert M. Cox5, Aaron M. Reedy6, Benjamin B. Parrott1,2,3

1Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Aiken, SC 29802, USA
2Eugene P. Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
3Interdisciplinary Toxicology Program, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA
4Department of Biological Sciences, Auburn University, Auburn, AL 36849, USA
5Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
6DataClassroom, 1022 Cottonwood Rd, Charlottesville, VA 22901, USA

Abstract: Sex differences in life span are widespread across animal taxa, but their causes remain unresolved. Alterations to the epigenome are hypothesized to contribute to vertebrate aging, and DNA methylation–based aging clocks allow for quantitative estimation of biological aging trajectories. Here, we investigate the influence of age, sex, and their interaction on genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in the brown anole (Anolis sagrei), a lizard with pronounced female-biased survival and longevity. We develop a series of age predictor models and find that, contrary to our predictions, rates of epigenetic aging were not slower in female lizards. However, methylation states at loci acquiring age-associated changes appear to be more “youthful” in young females, suggesting that female DNA methylomes are preemptively fortified in early life in opposition to the direction of age-related drift. Collectively, our findings provide insights into epigenetic aging in reptiles and suggest that early-life epigenetic profiles may be more informative than rates of change for predicting sex biases in longevity.

SREL Reprint #3812

Shealy, E. P., T. S. Schwartz, R. M. Cox, A. M. Reedy, and B. B. Parrott. 2025. DNA methylation-based age prediction and sex-specific epigenetic aging in a lizard with female-biased longevity. Science Advances 11(5).

This information was provided by the University of Georgia's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory (srel.uga.edu).