Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29228364›Full record

ArticleHuman molecular genetics2018

Age-dependent changes in mean and variance of gene expression across tissues in a twin cohort.

Ana Viñuela, Andrew A Brown, Alfonso Buil, Pei-Chien Tsai, Matthew N Davies, Jordana T Bell, Emmanouil T Dermitzakis, Timothy D Spector, Kerrin S Small

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Human molecular genetics, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 70 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
70citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.5field-weighted citation impact, top 4% 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

70 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 122 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  5. Associations and interaction effects of socioeconomic, lifestyle, and genetic factors on intrinsic capacity.The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences · 2026
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10 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.

Ana ViñuelaDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, St Thomas' Campus, SE1 7EH London, UK.
Andrew A BrownWellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton CB10 1SA, Cambridge, UK.
Alfonso BuilDepartment of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
Pei-Chien TsaiDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, St Thomas' Campus, SE1 7EH London, UK.
Matthew N DaviesDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, St Thomas' Campus, SE1 7EH London, UK.
Jordana T BellDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, St Thomas' Campus, SE1 7EH London, UK.
Emmanouil T DermitzakisDepartment of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva Medical School, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
Timothy D SpectorDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, St Thomas' Campus, SE1 7EH London, UK.
Kerrin S SmallDepartment of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, St Thomas' Campus, SE1 7EH London, UK.
King's College London · GBSIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics · CHUniversity of Geneva · CHWellcome Sanger Institute · GB

Funding

Medical Research Council MR/L01999X/1Medical Research Council MR/M004422/1Wellcome Trust
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Changes in the mean and variance of gene expression with age have consequences for healthy aging and disease development. Age-dependent changes in phenotypic variance have been associated with a decline in regulatory functions leading to increase in disease risk. Here, we investigate age-related mean and variance changes in gene expression measured by RNA-seq of fat, skin, whole blood and derived lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) expression from 855 adult female twins. We see evidence of up to 60% of age effects on transcription levels shared across tissues, and 47% of those on splicing. Using gene expression variance and discordance between genetically identical MZ twin pairs, we identify 137 genes with age-related changes in variance and 42 genes with age-related discordance between co-twins; implying the latter are driven by environmental effects. We identify four eQTLs whose effect on expression is age-dependent (FDR 5%). Combined, these results show a complicated mix of environmental and genetically driven changes in expression with age. Using the twin structure in our data, we show that additive genetic effects explain considerably more of the variance in gene expression than aging, but less that other environmental factors, potentially explaining why reliable expression-derived biomarkers for healthy-aging have proved elusive compared with those derived from methylation.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAged, 80 and overBiomarkersCell LineCohort StudiesExonsFemaleGene ExpressionHumansMiddle AgedRNA SplicingTwins, MonozygoticBiomarkers

Identifiers

PMID29228364
PMCPMC5886097
OpenAlexW2950255723

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.