Epigenetic clocks provide a powerful tool for estimating age in species by examining DNA methylation markers. This study introduces a novel method in comparative epigenetics to identify such markers, utilizing what we define as shared methylation regions (SMRs). Based on SMRs, we developed the first multispecies piscine epigenetic clock. This clock predicted chronological age across four teleost species with notable accuracy and precision (R = 0.8608, mean absolute error (MAE) = 0.9954 years). The species included (samples = 371, age range = 0-11.4 years) cover three taxonomic orders. Notably, these detected conserved methylation regions may serve as putative candidates for ageing research. Further, we tested the model’s potential application for chronological age estimation with a leave-one-species-out analysis and, despite lower performance, the model was capable of roughly estimating age in unseen species. Additionally, a separate clock was created which predicted relative age (relative to the maximum lifespan) for the same samples (R = 0.7578, MAE = 0.0367), suggesting a shared methylation pattern for biological ageing mechanisms across species. Both models are useful applied tools for fisheries management and conservation efforts. Furthermore, SMRs provide new means for comparative studies in epigenetics and enhance our understanding of conserved age-associated methylation patterns.
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