DNA methylation rates scale with maximum lifespan across mammals

Abstract

DNA methylation rates have previously been found to broadly correlate with maximum lifespan in mammals, yet no precise relationship has been observed. We developed a statistically robust framework to compare methylation rates at conserved age-related sites across mammals. We found that methylation rates negatively scale with maximum lifespan in both blood and skin. The emergence of explicit scaling suggests that methylation rates are - or are linked to - an evolutionary constraint on maximum lifespan acting across diverse mammalian lineages.