The rate of ageing-associated DNA methylation dynamics is a molecular readout of lifespan variation amongst mammalian species [Bis-PCR: dog]

We used buccal samples from two different dog breeds with well established differences in average lifespan to perform genome-scale identification of ageing-associated differentially methylated positions (aDMPs) in a total of 48 different dogs. A significant proportion of aDMPs that gained methylation with age replicated in an independent cohort. Furthermore, we also show that human aDMPs show similar ageing-associated dynamics at the homologous genomic regions in the dog. The replicated aDMPs show a faster rate of change with age in the shorter lived dog species. Strikingly, these aDMPs also show a faster rate of change with age in dogs overall compared with humans.