P53 and DNA Methylation in the Aging Process

Abstract

Healthy aging is the ultimate goal of all life science research and the most ideal state of a human being. There are many factors that affect aging, including genetic background, the environment, mental state and living habits and so on, which affect the body’s internal environment and its steady state. The ultimate starting point of the body’s aging all comes down to cellular aging. At the cellular level, aging is an irreversible block in the cell cycle, and the P53 gene plays a pivotal role in regulating the cell cycle. Aging is not only regulated by genes but also influenced by epigenetics affecting gene expression. DNA methylation, a novel biomarker of aging, plays a major role in epigenetics. This paper’s mini-review briefly summarizes P53 and DNA methylation in aging.