Citations 1
Increased stress in early life epigenetically rewires pathways related to aging and longevity
Olova, Nelly N , Zhou, Tianchi , Boner, Winnie , Gillespie, Robert, Ivimey-Cook, Edward R. , Marioni, Riccardo, Cunningham, Emma J. A., Chandra, Tamir, Little, Tom J , Monaghan, Pat, Dominoni, Davide M
No container title available | October 2, 2026 | Volume: No volume available | Issue: No issue available | Pages: No page available
Environmental conditions experienced early in life have profound consequences for vertebrate health, yet the molecular pathways linking developmental stress to aging and reduced lifespan remain poorly understood. Through a novel highly accurate epigenetic clock, developed from RRBS-based blood DNA methylation profiles, we show that experimental lifespan-reducing early-life stress rapidly accelerates epigenetic age in zebra finch chicks (Taeniopygia guttata). Corticosterone-treated 29-day-old chicks share differentially methylated loci with non-treated aged birds and cluster with 6-month-old birds. The transcriptional repressor ZBTB16 emerges as an epigenetically top age-correlated gene and is strongest affected by corticosterone. Elevated developmental corticosterone causes rapid epigenetic remodelling of metabolic pathways well-established in aging and longevity. Our results demonstrate epigenetic rewiring of the aging trajectory through conserved stress-survival mechanisms immediately following elevated early-life stress exposure.