Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28625020›Full record

ArticleAging cell2017

Methylation of the ribosomal RNA gene promoter is associated with aging and age-related decline.

Patrizia D'Aquila, Alberto Montesanto, Maurizio Mandalà, Sabrina Garasto, Vincenzo Mari, Andrea Corsonello, Dina Bellizzi, Giuseppe Passarino

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Aging cell, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 61 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
61citing papers in PubMed
3.1field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

61 citing papers in PubMed, 88 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Ribosome Molecular Aging Shapes Translation Dynamics.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Improving our understanding of the biology of aging: findings from the Age-It Research Program.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2025
    Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. rDNA Copy Number Variation and Methylation in Human and Mouse Sperm.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Review
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Ribosome Assembly and Repair.Annual review of cell and developmental biology · 2024
    Review
  18. Review
  19. Review
  20. Noncoding RNA Contribution to Aging and Lifespan.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2024
    Article

1 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Patrizia D'AquilaDepartment of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Rende, Italy.
Alberto MontesantoDepartment of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Rende, Italy.
Maurizio MandalàDepartment of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Rende, Italy.
Sabrina GarastoItalian National Research Center on Aging (INRCA), 87100, Cosenza, Italy.
Vincenzo MariItalian National Research Center on Aging (INRCA), 87100, Cosenza, Italy.
Andrea CorsonelloItalian National Research Center on Aging (INRCA), 87100, Cosenza, Italy.
Dina BellizziDepartment of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Rende, Italy.
Giuseppe PassarinoDepartment of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036, Rende, Italy.
University of Calabria · ITItalian Medicines Agency · ITIstituto Nazionale di Riposo e Cura per Anziani · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The transcription of ribosomal RNA genes (rDNA) is subject to epigenetic regulation, as it is abrogated by the methylation of CpG dinucleotides within their promoter region. Here, we investigated, through Sequenom platform, the age-related methylation status of the CpG island falling into the rDNA promoter in 472 blood samples from 20- to 105-year-old humans and in different tissues (blood, heart, liver, kidney, and testis) of 15 rats 3-96 weeks old. In humans, we did not find a consistently significant correlation between CpG site methylation and chronological age. Furthermore, the methylation levels of one of the analyzed CpG sites were negatively associated with both cognitive performance and survival chance measured in a 9-year follow-up study. We consistently confirmed such result in a replication sample. In rats, the analysis of the homologous region in the tissues revealed the existence of increased methylation in old rats. rRNA expression data, in both humans and rats, were consistent with observed methylation patterns, with a lower expression of rRNA in highly methylated samples. As chronological and biological ages in rats of a given strain are likely to be much closer to each other than in humans, these results seem to provide the first evidence that epigenetic modifications of rDNA change over time according to the aging decline. Thus, the methylation profile of rDNA may represent a potential biomarker of aging.

Indexed as

CpG IslandsEpigenesis, GeneticGenes, rRNAPromoter Regions, GeneticAdultAgedAged, 80 and overAgingAnimalsDNA MethylationDNA, RibosomalFemaleHumansKaplan-Meier EstimateKidneyLiverDNA, RibosomalRNA, Ribosomalagingbiological agechronological agegeriatric parametersribosomal DNA (rDNA) promoterribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes

Identifiers

PMID28625020
PMCPMC5595699
OpenAlexW2625191040

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.