Data from: Maintenance of age in human neurons generated by microRNA-based neuronal conversion of fibroblasts

Aging is a major risk factor in many forms of late-onset neurodegenerative
disorders. The ability to recapitulate age-related characteristics of
human neurons in culture will offer unprecedented opportunities to study
the biological processes underlying neuronal aging. Here, we show that
using a recently demonstrated microRNA-based cellular reprogramming
approach, human fibroblasts from postnatal to near centenarian donors can
be efficiently converted into neurons that maintain multiple
age-associated signatures. Application of an epigenetic biomarker of aging
(referred to as epigenetic clock) to DNA methylation data revealed that
the epigenetic ages of fibroblasts were highly correlated with
corresponding age estimates of reprogrammed neurons. Transcriptome and
microRNA profiles reveal genes differentially expressed between young and
old neurons. Further analyses of oxidative stress, DNA damage and telomere
length exhibit the retention of age-associated cellular properties in
converted neurons from corresponding fibroblasts. Our results collectively
demonstrate the maintenance of age after neuronal conversion.