Section of Molecular Epidemiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Bioessays. 2013 Apr;35(4):386-96. doi: 10.1002/bies.201200148. Epub 2013 Feb 19.
Human lifespan variation is mainly determined by environmental factors, whereas the genetic contribution is 25-30% and expected to be polygenic. Two complementary fields go hand in hand in order to unravel the mechanisms of biological aging: genomic and biomarker research. Explorative and candidate gene studies of the human genome by genetic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic approaches have resulted in the identification of a limited number of interesting positive linkage regions, genes, and pathways that contribute to lifespan variation. The possibilities to further exploit these findings are rapidly increasing through the use of novel technologies, such as next-generation sequencing. Genomic research is progressively being integrated with biomarker studies on aging, including the application of (noninvasive) deep phenotyping and omics data - generated using novel technologies - in a wealth of studies in human populations. Hence, these studies may assist in obtaining a more holistic perspective on the role of the genome in aging and lifespan regulation.
人类寿命的变化主要取决于环境因素，而遗传贡献为 25-30%，预计是多基因的。为了揭示生物衰老的机制，两个互补的领域齐头并进：基因组学和生物标志物研究。通过遗传、转录组和表观基因组学方法对人类基因组进行探索性和候选基因研究，已经确定了一些有趣的阳性连锁区域、基因和通路，这些区域、基因和通路有助于寿命的变化。通过使用新技术，如下一代测序，进一步利用这些发现的可能性正在迅速增加。基因组研究正在逐渐与衰老的生物标志物研究相结合，包括在大量的人类群体研究中应用（非侵入性）深度表型和使用新技术产生的组学数据。因此，这些研究可能有助于更全面地了解基因组在衰老和寿命调节中的作用。
