1
|
Sibilio P, Conte F, Huang Y, Castaldi PJ, Hersh CP, DeMeo DL, Silverman EK, Paci P. Correlation-based network integration of lung RNA sequencing and DNA methylation data in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Heliyon 2024; 10:e31301. [PMID: 38807864 PMCID: PMC11130701 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e31301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a heterogeneous, chronic inflammatory process of the lungs and, like other complex diseases, is caused by both genetic and environmental factors. Detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms of complex diseases requires the study of the interplay among different biomolecular layers, and thus the integration of different omics data types. In this study, we investigated COPD-associated molecular mechanisms through a correlation-based network integration of lung tissue RNA-seq and DNA methylation data of COPD cases (n = 446) and controls (n = 346) derived from the Lung Tissue Research Consortium. First, we performed a SWIM-network based analysis to build separate correlation networks for RNA-seq and DNA methylation data for our case-control study population. Then, we developed a method to integrate the results into a coupled network of differentially expressed and differentially methylated genes to investigate their relationships across both molecular layers. The functional enrichment analysis of the nodes of the coupled network revealed a strikingly significant enrichment in Immune System components, both innate and adaptive, as well as immune-system component communication (interleukin and cytokine-cytokine signaling). Our analysis allowed us to reveal novel putative COPD-associated genes and to analyze their relationships, both at the transcriptomics and epigenomics levels, thus contributing to an improved understanding of COPD pathogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pasquale Sibilio
- Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science "Antonio Ruberti", National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Conte
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science "Antonio Ruberti", National Research Council, Rome, Italy
| | - Yichen Huang
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Peter J Castaldi
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Craig P Hersh
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Dawn L DeMeo
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Edwin K Silverman
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Paola Paci
- Department of Computer, Control and Management Engineering, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
- Institute for Systems Analysis and Computer Science "Antonio Ruberti", National Research Council, Rome, Italy
- Karolinska Institutet, 17177, Stockholm, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Chatziparasidis G, Chatziparasidi MR, Kantar A, Bush A. Time-dependent gene-environment interactions are essential drivers of asthma initiation and persistence. Pediatr Pulmonol 2024; 59:1143-1152. [PMID: 38380964 DOI: 10.1002/ppul.26935] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 01/27/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
Asthma is a clinical syndrome caused by heterogeneous underlying mechanisms with some of them having a strong genetic component. It is known that up to 82% of atopic asthma has a genetic background with the rest being influenced by environmental factors that cause epigenetic modification(s) of gene expression. The interaction between the gene(s) and the environment has long been regarded as the most likely explanation of asthma initiation and persistence. Lately, much attention has been given to the time frame the interaction occurs since the host response (immune or biological) to environmental triggers, differs at different developmental ages. The integration of the time variant into asthma pathogenesis is appearing to be equally important as the gene(s)-environment interaction. It seems that, all three factors should be present to trigger the asthma initiation and persistence cascade. Herein, we introduce the importance of the time variant in asthma pathogenesis and emphasize the long-term clinical significance of the time-dependent gene-environment interactions in childhood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Grigorios Chatziparasidis
- Faculty of Nursing, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
- School of Physical Education, Sport Science & Dietetics, University of Thessaly, Volos, Greece
| | | | - Ahmad Kantar
- Pediatric Asthma and Cough Centre, Instituti Ospedalieri Bergamashi, Bergamo, Italy
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
| | - Andrew Bush
- Departments of Paediatrics and Paediatric Respiratory Medicine, Royal Brompton Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College, London, UK
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Li JL, Jain N, Tamayo LI, Tong L, Jasmine F, Kibriya MG, Demanelis K, Oliva M, Chen LS, Pierce BL. The association of cigarette smoking with DNA methylation and gene expression in human tissue samples. Am J Hum Genet 2024; 111:636-653. [PMID: 38490207 PMCID: PMC11023923 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2024.02.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Revised: 02/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Cigarette smoking adversely affects many aspects of human health, and epigenetic responses to smoking may reflect mechanisms that mediate or defend against these effects. Prior studies of smoking and DNA methylation (DNAm), typically measured in leukocytes, have identified numerous smoking-associated regions (e.g., AHRR). To identify smoking-associated DNAm features in typically inaccessible tissues, we generated array-based DNAm data for 916 tissue samples from the GTEx (Genotype-Tissue Expression) project representing 9 tissue types (lung, colon, ovary, prostate, blood, breast, testis, kidney, and muscle). We identified 6,350 smoking-associated CpGs in lung tissue (n = 212) and 2,735 in colon tissue (n = 210), most not reported previously. For all 7 other tissue types (sample sizes 38-153), no clear associations were observed (false discovery rate 0.05), but some tissues showed enrichment for smoking-associated CpGs reported previously. For 1,646 loci (in lung) and 22 (in colon), smoking was associated with both DNAm and local gene expression. For loci detected in both lung and colon (e.g., AHRR, CYP1B1, CYP1A1), top CpGs often differed between tissues, but similar clusters of hyper- or hypomethylated CpGs were observed, with hypomethylation at regulatory elements corresponding to increased expression. For lung tissue, 17 hallmark gene sets were enriched for smoking-associated CpGs, including xenobiotic- and cancer-related gene sets. At least four smoking-associated regions in lung were impacted by lung methylation quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that co-localize with genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals for lung function (FEV1/FVC), suggesting epigenetic alterations can mediate the effects of smoking on lung health. Our multi-tissue approach has identified smoking-associated regions in disease-relevant tissues, including effects that are shared across tissue types.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James L Li
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Interdisciplinary Scientist Training Program, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Niyati Jain
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Committee on Genetics, Genomics, Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Lizeth I Tamayo
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Lin Tong
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Farzana Jasmine
- Institute for Population and Precision Health (IPPH), Biological Sciences Division, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Muhammad G Kibriya
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Kathryn Demanelis
- Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA; UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
| | - Meritxell Oliva
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Genomics Research Center, AbbVie, North Chicago, IL 60064, USA
| | - Lin S Chen
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Brandon L Pierce
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA; Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Tulen CBM, van de Wetering C, Schiffers CHJ, Weltjens E, Benedikter BJ, Leermakers PA, Boukhaled JH, Drittij MJ, Schmeck BT, Reynaert NL, Opperhuizen A, van Schooten FJ, Remels AHV. Alterations in the molecular control of mitochondrial turnover in COPD lung and airway epithelial cells. Sci Rep 2024; 14:4821. [PMID: 38413800 PMCID: PMC10899608 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55335-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Abnormal mitochondria have been observed in bronchial- and alveolar epithelial cells of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, it is unknown if alterations in the molecular pathways regulating mitochondrial turnover (mitochondrial biogenesis vs mitophagy) are involved. Therefore, in this study, the abundance of key molecules controlling mitochondrial turnover were assessed in peripheral lung tissue from non-COPD patients (n = 6) and COPD patients (n = 11; GOLDII n = 4/11; GOLDIV n = 7/11) and in both undifferentiated and differentiated human primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBEC) from non-COPD patients and COPD patients (n = 4-7 patients/group). We observed significantly decreased transcript levels of key molecules controlling mitochondrial biogenesis (PPARGC1B, PPRC1, PPARD) in peripheral lung tissue from severe COPD patients. Interestingly, mRNA levels of the transcription factor TFAM (mitochondrial biogenesis) and BNIP3L (mitophagy) were increased in these patients. In general, these alterations were not recapitulated in undifferentiated and differentiated PBECs with the exception of decreased PPARGC1B expression in both PBEC models. Although these findings provide valuable insight in these pathways in bronchial epithelial cells and peripheral lung tissue of COPD patients, whether or not these alterations contribute to COPD pathogenesis, underlie changes in mitochondrial function or may represent compensatory mechanisms remains to be established.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christy B M Tulen
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Universiteitssingel 50, 6629 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Cheryl van de Wetering
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Department of Respiratory Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Caspar H J Schiffers
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Department of Respiratory Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Ellen Weltjens
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Universiteitssingel 50, 6629 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Birke J Benedikter
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Department of Microbiology, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Institute for Lung Research, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, Giessen, Germany
| | - Pieter A Leermakers
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Universiteitssingel 50, 6629 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Juliana H Boukhaled
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Universiteitssingel 50, 6629 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Marie-José Drittij
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Universiteitssingel 50, 6629 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Bernd T Schmeck
- Institute for Lung Research, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Department for Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Clinic for Respiratory Infections, University Medical Center Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- German Centers for Lung Research (DZL) and for Infectious Disease Research (DZIF), SYNMIKRO Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Philipps-University Marburg, 35037, Marburg, Germany
- Member of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Center, Giessen, Germany
| | - Niki L Reynaert
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Department of Respiratory Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Primary Lung Culture (PLUC) Facility, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Antoon Opperhuizen
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Universiteitssingel 50, 6629 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Office of Risk Assessment and Research, Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA), Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Frederik-Jan van Schooten
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Universiteitssingel 50, 6629 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Alexander H V Remels
- School of Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Universiteitssingel 50, 6629 ER, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Sommer AJ, Okonkwo J, Monteiro J, Bind MAC. A permutation-based approach using a rank-based statistic to identify sex differences in epigenetics. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14838. [PMID: 37684282 PMCID: PMC10491832 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41360-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic sex differences and their resulting implications for human health have been studied for about a decade. The objective of this paper is to use permutation-based inference and a new ranked-based test statistic to identify sex-based epigenetic differences in the human DNA methylome. In particular, we examine whether we could identify separations between the female and male distributions of DNA methylation across hundred of thousands CpG sites in two independent cohorts, the Swedish Adoption Twin study and the Lamarck study. Based on Fisherian p-values, we set a threshold for methylation differences "worth further scrutiny". At this threshold, we were able to confirm previously-found CpG sites that stratify with respect to sex. These CpG sites with sex differences in DNA methylation should be further investigated for their possible contribution to various physiological and pathological functions in the human body. We followed-up our statistical analyses with a literature review in order to inform the proposed disease implications for the loci we uncovered.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alice J Sommer
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry, and Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig-Maximilians-University München, Munich, Germany
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Jude Okonkwo
- Columbia Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, USA
| | - Jonathan Monteiro
- Department of Biostatistics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Marie-Abèle C Bind
- Department of Biostatistics, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Rosenberg L, Liu C, Sharma R, Wood C, Vyhlidal CA, Gaedigk R, Kho AT, Ziniti JP, Celedón JC, Tantisira KG, Weiss ST, McGeachie MJ, Kechris K, Sharma S. Intrauterine Smoke Exposure, microRNA Expression during Human Lung Development, and Childhood Asthma. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:7727. [PMID: 37175432 PMCID: PMC10178351 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24097727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Intrauterine smoke (IUS) exposure during early childhood has been associated with a number of negative health consequences, including reduced lung function and asthma susceptibility. The biological mechanisms underlying these associations have not been established. MicroRNAs regulate the expression of numerous genes involved in lung development. Thus, investigation of the impact of IUS on miRNA expression during human lung development may elucidate the impact of IUS on post-natal respiratory outcomes. We sought to investigate the effect of IUS exposure on miRNA expression during early lung development. We hypothesized that miRNA-mRNA networks are dysregulated by IUS during human lung development and that these miRNAs may be associated with future risk of asthma and allergy. Human fetal lung samples from a prenatal tissue retrieval program were tested for differential miRNA expression with IUS exposure (measured using placental cotinine concentration). RNA was extracted and miRNA-sequencing was performed. We performed differential expression using IUS exposure, with covariate adjustment. We also considered the above model with an additional sex-by-IUS interaction term, allowing IUS effects to differ by male and female samples. Using paired gene expression profiles, we created sex-stratified miRNA-mRNA correlation networks predictive of IUS using DIABLO. We additionally evaluated whether miRNAs were associated with asthma and allergy outcomes in a cohort of childhood asthma. We profiled pseudoglandular lung miRNA in n = 298 samples, 139 (47%) of which had evidence of IUS exposure. Of 515 miRNAs, 25 were significantly associated with intrauterine smoke exposure (q-value < 0.10). The IUS associated miRNAs were correlated with well-known asthma genes (e.g., ORM1-Like Protein 3, ORDML3) and enriched in disease-relevant pathways (oxidative stress). Eleven IUS-miRNAs were also correlated with clinical measures (e.g., Immunoglobulin E andlungfunction) in children with asthma, further supporting their likely disease relevance. Lastly, we found substantial differences in IUS effects by sex, finding 95 significant IUS-miRNAs in male samples, but only four miRNAs in female samples. The miRNA-mRNA correlation networks were predictive of IUS (AUC = 0.78 in males and 0.86 in females) and suggested that IUS-miRNAs are involved in regulation of disease-relevant genes (e.g., A disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain 19 (ADAM19), LBH regulator of WNT signaling (LBH)) and sex hormone signaling (Coactivator associated methyltransferase 1(CARM1)). Our study demonstrated differential expression of miRNAs by IUS during early prenatal human lung development, which may be modified by sex. Based on their gene targets and correlation to clinical asthma and atopy outcomes, these IUS-miRNAs may be relevant for subsequent allergy and asthma risk. Our study provides insight into the impact of IUS in human fetal lung transcriptional networks and on the developmental origins of asthma and allergic disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lynne Rosenberg
- Department of Pediatrics and Department of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Cuining Liu
- Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Rinku Sharma
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Cheyret Wood
- Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | | | - Roger Gaedigk
- Children’s Mercy Hospital and Clinics, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA
| | - Alvin T. Kho
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - John P. Ziniti
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Juan C. Celedón
- Division of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA
| | - Kelan G. Tantisira
- Division of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine, Rady Children’s Hospital, University of California, San Diego, CA 92123, USA
| | - Scott T. Weiss
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Michael J. McGeachie
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Katerina Kechris
- Department of Biostatistics and Informatics, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado-Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| | - Sunita Sharma
- Division of Pulmonary Sciences and Critical Care Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Vidaki A, Planterose Jiménez B, Poggiali B, Kalamara V, van der Gaag KJ, Maas SCE, Ghanbari M, Sijen T, Kayser M. Targeted DNA methylation analysis and prediction of smoking habits in blood based on massively parallel sequencing. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2023; 65:102878. [PMID: 37116245 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2023.102878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/30/2023]
Abstract
Tobacco smoking is a frequent habit sustained by > 1.3 billion people in 2020 and the leading preventable factor for health risk and premature mortality worldwide. In the forensic context, predicting smoking habits from biological samples may allow broadening DNA phenotyping. In this study, we aimed to implement previously published smoking habit classification models based on blood DNA methylation at 13 CpGs. First, we developed a matching lab tool based on bisulfite conversion and multiplex PCR followed by amplification-free library preparation and targeted paired-end massively parallel sequencing (MPS). Analysis of six technical duplicates revealed high reproducibility of methylation measurements (Pearson correlation of 0.983). Artificially methylated standards uncovered marker-specific amplification bias, which we corrected via bi-exponential models. We then applied our MPS tool to 232 blood samples from Europeans of a wide age range, of which 90 were current, 71 former and 71 never smokers. On average, we obtained 189,000 reads/sample and 15,000 reads/CpG, without marker drop-out. Methylation distributions per smoking category roughly corresponded to previous microarray analysis, showcasing large inter-individual variation but with technology-driven bias. Methylation at 11 out of 13 smoking-CpGs correlated with daily cigarettes in current smokers, while solely one was weakly correlated with time since cessation in former smokers. Interestingly, eight smoking-CpGs correlated with age, and one displayed weak but significant sex-associated methylation differences. Using bias-uncorrected MPS data, smoking habits were relatively accurately predicted using both two- (current/non-current) and three- (never/former/current) category model, but bias correction resulted in worse prediction performance for both models. Finally, to account for technology-driven variation, we built new, joint models with inter-technology corrections, which resulted in improved prediction results for both models, with or without PCR bias correction (e.g. MPS cross-validation F1-score > 0.8; 2-categories). Overall, our novel assay takes us one step closer towards the forensic application of viable smoking habit prediction from blood traces. However, future research is needed towards forensically validating the assay, especially in terms of sensitivity. We also need to further shed light on the employed biomarkers, particularly on the mechanistics, tissue specificity and putative confounders of smoking epigenetic signatures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Athina Vidaki
- Department of Genetic Identification, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Benjamin Planterose Jiménez
- Department of Genetic Identification, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Brando Poggiali
- Department of Genetic Identification, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Vivian Kalamara
- Department of Genetic Identification, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | | | - Silvana C E Maas
- Department of Genetic Identification, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Mohsen Ghanbari
- Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Titia Sijen
- Division of Biological Traces, Netherlands Forensic Institute, The Hague, the Netherlands; Swammerdam Institute of Life Sciences, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Manfred Kayser
- Department of Genetic Identification, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Han Q, Wang Y, Sun N, Chu J, Hu W, Shen Y. Mediation analysis method review of high throughput data. Stat Appl Genet Mol Biol 2023; 22:sagmb-2023-0031. [PMID: 38015771 DOI: 10.1515/sagmb-2023-0031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
High-throughput technologies have made high-dimensional settings increasingly common, providing opportunities for the development of high-dimensional mediation methods. We aimed to provide useful guidance for researchers using high-dimensional mediation analysis and ideas for biostatisticians to develop it by summarizing and discussing recent advances in high-dimensional mediation analysis. The method still faces many challenges when extended single and multiple mediation analyses to high-dimensional settings. The development of high-dimensional mediation methods attempts to address these issues, such as screening true mediators, estimating mediation effects by variable selection, reducing the mediation dimension to resolve correlations between variables, and utilizing composite null hypothesis testing to test them. Although these problems regarding high-dimensional mediation have been solved to some extent, some challenges remain. First, the correlation between mediators are rarely considered when the variables are selected for mediation. Second, downscaling without incorporating prior biological knowledge makes the results difficult to interpret. In addition, a method of sensitivity analysis for the strict sequential ignorability assumption in high-dimensional mediation analysis is still lacking. An analyst needs to consider the applicability of each method when utilizing them, while a biostatistician could consider extensions and improvements in the methodology.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Qiang Han
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Na Sun
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Jiadong Chu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Wei Hu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Yueping Shen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
King DE, Sparling AC, Lloyd D, Satusky MJ, Martinez M, Grenier C, Bergemann CM, Maguire R, Hoyo C, Meyer JN, Murphy SK. Sex-specific DNA methylation and associations with in utero tobacco smoke exposure at nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes. Epigenetics 2022; 17:1573-1589. [PMID: 35238269 PMCID: PMC9620986 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2022.2043591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Sex-linked differences in mitochondrial ATP production, enzyme activities, and reactive oxygen species generation have been reported in multiple tissue and cell types. While the effects of reproductive hormones underlie many of these differences, regulation of sexually dimorphic mitochondrial function has not been fully characterized. We hypothesized that sex-specific DNA methylation contributes to sex-specific expression of nuclear genes that influence mitochondrial function. Herein, we analysed DNA methylation data specifically focused on nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes in 191 males and 190 females. We found 596 differentially methylated sites (DMSs) (FDR p < 0.05), corresponding to 324 genes, with at least a 1% difference in methylation between sexes. To investigate the potential functional significance, we utilized gene expression microarray data. Of the 324 genes containing DMSs, 17 showed differences in gene expression by sex. Particularly striking was that ATP5G2, encoding subunit C of ATP synthase, contains seven DMSs and exhibits a sex difference in expression (p = 0.04). Finally, we also found that alterations in DNA methylation associated with in utero tobacco smoke exposure were sex-specific in these nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes. Interestingly, the level of sex differences in DNA methylation at nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes and the level of methylation changes associated with smoke exposure were less prominent than that of other genes. This suggests more conservative regulation of DNA methylation at these nuclear-encoded mitochondrial genes as compared to others. Overall, our findings suggest that sex-specific DNA methylation may help establish sex differences in expression and function and that sex-specific alterations in DNA methylation in response to exposures could contribute to sex-variable toxicological responses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dillon E. King
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Anna Clare Sparling
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Dillon Lloyd
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Matthew Joseph Satusky
- Renaissance Computing Institute, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Mackenzie Martinez
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Carole Grenier
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Rachel Maguire
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Cathrine Hoyo
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - Joel Newman Meyer
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Susan K. Murphy
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA,Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA,CONTACT Susan K. Murphy 701 W. Main Street, Suite 510, Durham, NC27701, USA Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Engelbrecht HR, Merrill SM, Gladish N, MacIsaac JL, Lin DTS, Ecker S, Chrysohoou CA, Pes GM, Kobor MS, Rehkopf DH. Sex differences in epigenetic age in Mediterranean high longevity regions. FRONTIERS IN AGING 2022; 3:1007098. [PMID: 36506464 PMCID: PMC9726738 DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2022.1007098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Sex differences in aging manifest in disparities in disease prevalence, physical health, and lifespan, where women tend to have greater longevity relative to men. However, in the Mediterranean Blue Zones of Sardinia (Italy) and Ikaria (Greece) are regions of centenarian abundance, male-female centenarian ratios are approximately one, diverging from the typical trend and making these useful regions in which to study sex differences of the oldest old. Additionally, these regions can be investigated as examples of healthy aging relative to other populations. DNA methylation (DNAm)-based predictors have been developed to assess various health biomarkers, including biological age, Pace of Aging, serum interleukin-6 (IL-6), and telomere length. Epigenetic clocks are biological age predictors whose deviation from chronological age has been indicative of relative health differences between individuals, making these useful tools for interrogating these differences in aging. We assessed sex differences between the Horvath, Hannum, GrimAge, PhenoAge, Skin and Blood, and Pace of Aging predictors from individuals in two Mediterranean Blue Zones and found that men displayed positive epigenetic age acceleration (EAA) compared to women according to all clocks, with significantly greater rates according to GrimAge (β = 3.55; p = 1.22 × 10-12), Horvath (β = 1.07; p = 0.00378) and the Pace of Aging (β = 0.0344; p = 1.77 × 10-08). Other DNAm-based biomarkers findings indicated that men had lower DNAm-predicted serum IL-6 scores (β = -0.00301, p = 2.84 × 10-12), while women displayed higher DNAm-predicted proportions of regulatory T cells than men from the Blue Zone (p = 0.0150, 95% Confidence Interval [0.00131, 0.0117], Cohen's d = 0.517). All clocks showed better correlations with chronological age in women from the Blue Zones than men, but all clocks showed large mean absolute errors (MAE >30 years) in both sexes, except for PhenoAge (MAE <5 years). Thus, despite their equal survival to older ages in these Mediterranean Blue Zones, men in these regions remain biologically older by most measured DNAm-derived metrics than women, with the exception of the IL-6 score and proportion of regulatory T cells.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hannah-Ruth Engelbrecht
- Edwin S. H. Leong Healthy Aging Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Sarah M. Merrill
- Edwin S. H. Leong Healthy Aging Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Nicole Gladish
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, United States
| | - Julie L. MacIsaac
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - David T. S. Lin
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Simone Ecker
- UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Giovanni M. Pes
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
| | - Michael S. Kobor
- Edwin S. H. Leong Healthy Aging Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,British Columbia Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,*Correspondence: Michael S. Kobor, ; David H. Rehkopf,
| | - David H. Rehkopf
- Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, United States,*Correspondence: Michael S. Kobor, ; David H. Rehkopf,
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Govender P, Ghai M, Okpeku M. Sex-specific DNA methylation: impact on human health and development. Mol Genet Genomics 2022; 297:1451-1466. [PMID: 35969270 DOI: 10.1007/s00438-022-01935-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Human evolution has shaped gender differences between males and females. Over the years, scientific studies have proposed that epigenetic modifications significantly influence sex-specific differences. The evolution of sex chromosomes with epigenetics as the driving force may have led to one sex being more adaptable than the other when exposed to various factors over time. Identifying and understanding sex-specific differences, particularly in DNA methylation, will help determine how each gender responds to factors, such as disease susceptibility, environmental exposure, brain development and neurodegeneration. From a medicine and health standpoint, sex-specific methylation studies have shed light on human disease severity, progression, and response to therapeutic intervention. Interesting findings in gender incongruent individuals highlight the role of genetic makeup in influencing DNA methylation differences. Sex-specific DNA methylation studies will empower the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry with more knowledge to identify biomarkers, design and develop sex bias drugs leading to better treatment in men and women based on their response to different diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Priyanka Govender
- Discipline of Genetics, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, South Africa
| | - Meenu Ghai
- Discipline of Genetics, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, South Africa.
| | - Moses Okpeku
- Discipline of Genetics, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Lee M, Huan T, McCartney DL, Chittoor G, de Vries M, Lahousse L, Nguyen JN, Brody JA, Castillo-Fernandez J, Terzikhan N, Qi C, Joehanes R, Min JL, Smilnak GJ, Shaw JR, Yang CX, Colicino E, Hoang TT, Bermingham ML, Xu H, Justice AE, Xu CJ, Rich SS, Cox SR, Vonk JM, Prokić I, Sotoodehnia N, Tsai PC, Schwartz JD, Leung JM, Sikdar S, Walker RM, Harris SE, van der Plaat DA, Van Den Berg DJ, Bartz TM, Spector TD, Vokonas PS, Marioni RE, Taylor AM, Liu Y, Barr RG, Lange LA, Baccarelli AA, Obeidat M, Fornage M, Wang T, Ward JM, Motsinger-Reif AA, Hemani G, Koppelman GH, Bell JT, Gharib SA, Brusselle G, Boezen HM, North KE, Levy D, Evans KL, Dupuis J, Breeze CE, Manichaikul A, London SJ. Pulmonary Function and Blood DNA Methylation: A Multiancestry Epigenome-Wide Association Meta-analysis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2022; 206:321-336. [PMID: 35536696 PMCID: PMC9890261 DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202108-1907oc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Rationale: Methylation integrates factors present at birth and modifiable across the lifespan that can influence pulmonary function. Studies are limited in scope and replication. Objectives: To conduct large-scale epigenome-wide meta-analyses of blood DNA methylation and pulmonary function. Methods: Twelve cohorts analyzed associations of methylation at cytosine-phosphate-guanine probes (CpGs), using Illumina 450K or EPIC/850K arrays, with FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC. We performed multiancestry epigenome-wide meta-analyses (total of 17,503 individuals; 14,761 European, 2,549 African, and 193 Hispanic/Latino ancestries) and interpreted results using integrative epigenomics. Measurements and Main Results: We identified 1,267 CpGs (1,042 genes) differentially methylated (false discovery rate, <0.025) in relation to FEV1, FVC, or FEV1/FVC, including 1,240 novel and 73 also related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (1,787 cases). We found 294 CpGs unique to European or African ancestry and 395 CpGs unique to never or ever smokers. The majority of significant CpGs correlated with nearby gene expression in blood. Findings were enriched in key regulatory elements for gene function, including accessible chromatin elements, in both blood and lung. Sixty-nine implicated genes are targets of investigational or approved drugs. One example novel gene highlighted by integrative epigenomic and druggable target analysis is TNFRSF4. Mendelian randomization and colocalization analyses suggest that epigenome-wide association study signals capture causal regulatory genomic loci. Conclusions: We identified numerous novel loci differentially methylated in relation to pulmonary function; few were detected in large genome-wide association studies. Integrative analyses highlight functional relevance and potential therapeutic targets. This comprehensive discovery of potentially modifiable, novel lung function loci expands knowledge gained from genetic studies, providing insights into lung pathogenesis.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Tianxiao Huan
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts.,Framingham Heart Study, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Framingham, Massachusetts
| | - Daniel L McCartney
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer and
| | - Geetha Chittoor
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Geisinger, Danville, Pennsylvania.,Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Maaike de Vries
- Department of Epidemiology.,Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD, and
| | - Lies Lahousse
- Department of Bioanalysis, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.,Department of Epidemiology and
| | - Jennifer N Nguyen
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Jennifer A Brody
- Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine
| | - Juan Castillo-Fernandez
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Cancan Qi
- Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD, and.,Department of Pediatric Pulmonology and Pediatric Allergology, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Roby Joehanes
- Framingham Heart Study, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Framingham, Massachusetts
| | - Josine L Min
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit and.,Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jessica R Shaw
- Division of Biomedical Informatics and Personalized Medicine, Department of Medicine, and
| | - Chen Xi Yang
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Elena Colicino
- Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | | | - Mairead L Bermingham
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer and
| | - Hanfei Xu
- Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Anne E Justice
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Geisinger, Danville, Pennsylvania.,Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Cheng-Jian Xu
- Centre for Individualised Infection Medicine, a joint venture between Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Hannover, Germany.,Research Group Bioinformatics and Computational Genomics, TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint venture between the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research and the Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover, Germany.,Department of Internal Medicine, Radboud Center for Infectious Diseases, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Stephen S Rich
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Simon R Cox
- Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Judith M Vonk
- Department of Epidemiology.,Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD, and
| | | | - Nona Sotoodehnia
- Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, Division of Cardiology, Department of Epidemiology
| | - Pei-Chien Tsai
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan.,Genomic Medicine Core Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, Taiwan
| | - Joel D Schwartz
- Department of Environmental Health and.,Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.,Channing Laboratory, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Janice M Leung
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sinjini Sikdar
- Epidemiology Branch.,Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia
| | - Rosie M Walker
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer and
| | - Sarah E Harris
- Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Diana A van der Plaat
- Department of Epidemiology.,National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David J Van Den Berg
- Department of Preventive Medicine and.,Center for Genetic Epidemiology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
| | - Traci M Bartz
- Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, Department of Biostatistics
| | - Tim D Spector
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Pantel S Vokonas
- Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, School of Medicine and School of Public Health, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Riccardo E Marioni
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer and
| | - Adele M Taylor
- Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, Department of Psychology, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Yongmei Liu
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
| | - R Graham Barr
- Department of Medicine and.,Department of Epidemiology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York
| | - Leslie A Lange
- Division of Biomedical Informatics and Personalized Medicine, Department of Medicine, and.,Department of Epidemiology, University of Colorado, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Andrea A Baccarelli
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York
| | - Ma'en Obeidat
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, The University of British Columbia, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Myriam Fornage
- Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, and.,Human Genetics Center, School of Public Health, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, Texas
| | | | | | - Alison A Motsinger-Reif
- Biostatistics and Computational Biology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina
| | - Gibran Hemani
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit and.,Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Gerard H Koppelman
- Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD, and.,Department of Pediatric Pulmonology and Pediatric Allergology, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Jordana T Bell
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Sina A Gharib
- Cardiovascular Health Research Unit, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine.,Computational Medicine Core, Center for Lung Biology, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Guy Brusselle
- Department of Epidemiology and.,Department of Respiratory Medicine, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,Department of Respiratory Medicine, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium; and
| | - H Marike Boezen
- Department of Epidemiology.,Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD, and
| | - Kari E North
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Daniel Levy
- Framingham Heart Study, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Framingham, Massachusetts
| | - Kathryn L Evans
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer and
| | - Josée Dupuis
- Department of Biostatistics, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | | | - Ani Manichaikul
- Center for Public Health Genomics, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Chlamydas S, Markouli M, Strepkos D, Piperi C. Epigenetic mechanisms regulate sex-specific bias in disease manifestations. J Mol Med (Berl) 2022; 100:1111-1123. [PMID: 35764820 PMCID: PMC9244100 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-022-02227-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Sex presents a vital determinant of a person’s physiology, anatomy, and development. Recent clinical studies indicate that sex is also involved in the differential manifestation of various diseases, affecting both clinical outcome as well as response to therapy. Genetic and epigenetic changes are implicated in sex bias and regulate disease onset, including the inactivation of the X chromosome as well as sex chromosome aneuploidy. The differential expression of X-linked genes, along with the presence of sex-specific hormones, exhibits a significant impact on immune system function. Several studies have revealed differences between the two sexes in response to infections, including respiratory diseases and COVID-19 infection, autoimmune disorders, liver fibrosis, neuropsychiatric diseases, and cancer susceptibility, which can be explained by sex-biased immune responses. In the present review, we explore the input of genetic and epigenetic interplay in the sex bias underlying disease manifestation and discuss their effects along with sex hormones on disease development and progression, aiming to reveal potential new therapeutic targets. Key messages Sex is involved in the differential manifestation of various diseases. Epigenetic modifications influence X-linked gene expression, affecting immune response to infections, including COVID-19. Epigenetic mechanisms are responsible for the sex bias observed in several respiratory and autoimmune disorders, liver fibrosis, neuropsychiatric diseases, and cancer.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sarantis Chlamydas
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 M. Asias Street Bldg 16, 11527, Athens, Greece.,Olink Proteomics, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mariam Markouli
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 M. Asias Street Bldg 16, 11527, Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Strepkos
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 M. Asias Street Bldg 16, 11527, Athens, Greece
| | - Christina Piperi
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 75 M. Asias Street Bldg 16, 11527, Athens, Greece.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Christenson SA, Smith BM, Bafadhel M, Putcha N. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Lancet 2022; 399:2227-2242. [PMID: 35533707 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(22)00470-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 190] [Impact Index Per Article: 95.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Revised: 02/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of morbidity, mortality, and health-care use worldwide. COPD is caused by exposure to inhaled noxious particles, notably tobacco smoke and pollutants. However, the broad range of factors that increase the risk of development and progression of COPD throughout the life course are increasingly being recognised. Innovations in omics and imaging techniques have provided greater insight into disease pathobiology, which might result in advances in COPD prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. Although few novel treatments have been approved for COPD in the past 5 years, advances have been made in targeting existing therapies to specific subpopulations using new biomarker-based strategies. Additionally, COVID-19 has undeniably affected individuals with COPD, who are not only at higher risk for severe disease manifestations than healthy individuals but also negatively affected by interruptions in health-care delivery and social isolation. This Seminar reviews COPD with an emphasis on recent advances in epidemiology, pathophysiology, imaging, diagnosis, and treatment.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie A Christenson
- Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Allergy, and Sleep Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Benjamin M Smith
- Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, USA; Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Mona Bafadhel
- School of Immunology and Microbial Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK; Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Nirupama Putcha
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Grant OA, Wang Y, Kumari M, Zabet NR, Schalkwyk L. Characterising sex differences of autosomal DNA methylation in whole blood using the Illumina EPIC array. Clin Epigenetics 2022; 14:62. [PMID: 35568878 PMCID: PMC9107695 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-022-01279-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sex differences are known to play a role in disease aetiology, progression and outcome. Previous studies have revealed autosomal epigenetic differences between males and females in some tissues, including differences in DNA methylation patterns. Here, we report for the first time an analysis of autosomal sex differences in DNAme using the Illumina EPIC array in human whole blood by performing a discovery (n = 1171) and validation (n = 2471) analysis. RESULTS We identified and validated 396 sex-associated differentially methylated CpG sites (saDMPs) with the majority found to be female-biased CpGs (74%). These saDMP's are enriched in CpG islands and CpG shores and located preferentially at 5'UTRs, 3'UTRs and enhancers. Additionally, we identified 266 significant sex-associated differentially methylated regions overlapping genes, which have previously been shown to exhibit epigenetic sex differences, and novel genes. Transcription factor binding site enrichment revealed enrichment of transcription factors related to critical developmental processes and sex determination such as SRY and ESR1. CONCLUSION Our study reports a reliable catalogue of sex-associated CpG sites and elucidates several characteristics of these sites using large-scale discovery and validation data sets. This resource will benefit future studies aiming to investigate sex specific epigenetic signatures and further our understanding of the role of DNA methylation in sex differences in human whole blood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Olivia A Grant
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK
- Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK
- Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 2AT, UK
| | - Yucheng Wang
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK
- School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Meena Kumari
- Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK
| | - Nicolae Radu Zabet
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK.
- Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, E1 2AT, UK.
| | - Leonard Schalkwyk
- School of Life Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, CO4 3SQ, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Agustí A, Melén E, DeMeo DL, Breyer-Kohansal R, Faner R. Pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: understanding the contributions of gene-environment interactions across the lifespan. THE LANCET. RESPIRATORY MEDICINE 2022; 10:512-524. [PMID: 35427533 DOI: 10.1016/s2213-2600(21)00555-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Revised: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The traditional view of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) as a self-inflicted disease caused by tobacco smoking in genetically susceptible individuals has been challenged by recent research findings. COPD can instead be understood as the potential end result of the accumulation of gene-environment interactions encountered by an individual over the life course. Integration of a time axis in pathogenic models of COPD is necessary because the biological responses to and clinical consequences of different exposures might vary according to both the age of an individual at which a given gene-environment interaction occurs and the cumulative history of previous gene-environment interactions. Future research should aim to understand the effects of dynamic interactions between genes (G) and the environment (E) by integrating information from basic omics (eg, genomics, epigenomics, proteomics) and clinical omics (eg, phenomics, physiomics, radiomics) with exposures (the exposome) over time (T)-an approach that we refer to as GETomics. In the context of this approach, we argue that COPD should be viewed not as a single disease, but as a clinical syndrome characterised by a recognisable pattern of chronic symptoms and structural or functional impairments due to gene-environment interactions across the lifespan that influence normal lung development and ageing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alvar Agustí
- Càtedra Salut Respiratòria, Universitat Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Respiratory Institute, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Erik Melén
- Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Sachs' Children and Youth Hospital, Södersjukhuset, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Dawn L DeMeo
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, and Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Robab Breyer-Kohansal
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Lung Health, Vienna, Austria; Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Clinic Penzing, Vienna, Austria
| | - Rosa Faner
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Soliai MM, Kato A, Helling BA, Stanhope CT, Norton JE, Naughton KA, Klinger AI, Thompson EE, Clay SM, Kim S, Celedón JC, Gern JE, Jackson DJ, Altman MC, Kern RC, Tan BK, Schleimer RP, Nicolae DL, Pinto JM, Ober C. Multi-omics colocalization with genome-wide association studies reveals a context-specific genetic mechanism at a childhood onset asthma risk locus. Genome Med 2021; 13:157. [PMID: 34629083 PMCID: PMC8504130 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-021-00967-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified thousands of variants associated with asthma and other complex diseases. However, the functional effects of most of these variants are unknown. Moreover, GWASs do not provide context-specific information on cell types or environmental factors that affect specific disease risks and outcomes. To address these limitations, we used an upper airway epithelial cell (AEC) culture model to assess transcriptional and epigenetic responses to rhinovirus (RV), an asthma-promoting pathogen, and provide context-specific functional annotations to variants discovered in GWASs of asthma. METHODS Genome-wide genetic, gene expression, and DNA methylation data in vehicle- and RV-treated upper AECs were collected from 104 individuals who had a diagnosis of airway disease (n=66) or were healthy participants (n=38). We mapped cis expression and methylation quantitative trait loci (cis-eQTLs and cis-meQTLs, respectively) in each treatment condition (RV and vehicle) in AECs from these individuals. A Bayesian test for colocalization between AEC molecular QTLs and adult onset asthma and childhood onset asthma GWAS SNPs, and a multi-ethnic GWAS of asthma, was used to assign the function to variants associated with asthma. We used Mendelian randomization to demonstrate DNA methylation effects on gene expression at asthma colocalized loci. RESULTS Asthma and allergic disease-associated GWAS SNPs were specifically enriched among molecular QTLs in AECs, but not in GWASs from non-immune diseases, and in AEC eQTLs, but not among eQTLs from other tissues. Colocalization analyses of AEC QTLs with asthma GWAS variants revealed potential molecular mechanisms of asthma, including QTLs at the TSLP locus that were common to both the RV and vehicle treatments and to both childhood onset and adult onset asthma, as well as QTLs at the 17q12-21 asthma locus that were specific to RV exposure and childhood onset asthma, consistent with clinical and epidemiological studies of these loci. CONCLUSIONS This study provides evidence of functional effects for asthma risk variants in AECs and insight into RV-mediated transcriptional and epigenetic response mechanisms that modulate genetic effects in the airway and risk for asthma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marcus M Soliai
- Departments of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Committee on Genetics, Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| | - Atsushi Kato
- Departments of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Britney A Helling
- Departments of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - James E Norton
- Departments of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | | | - Aiko I Klinger
- Departments of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Emma E Thompson
- Departments of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Selene M Clay
- Departments of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Soyeon Kim
- Division of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Juan C Celedón
- Division of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - James E Gern
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin, School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Daniel J Jackson
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin, School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Matthew C Altman
- Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Systems Immunology Program, Benaroya Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Robert C Kern
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Bruce K Tan
- Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Robert P Schleimer
- Departments of Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Dan L Nicolae
- Department of Statistics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Jayant M Pinto
- Department of Surgery, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Carole Ober
- Departments of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
- Committee on Genetics, Genomics and Systems Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
DeMeo DL. Sex and Gender Omic Biomarkers in Men and Women With COPD: Considerations for Precision Medicine. Chest 2021; 160:104-113. [PMID: 33745988 DOI: 10.1016/j.chest.2021.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 02/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex and gender differences in lung health and disease are imperative to consider and study if precision pulmonary medicine is to be achieved. The development of reliable COPD biomarkers has been elusive, and the translation of biomarkers to clinical care has been limited. Useful and effective biomarkers must be developed with attention to clinical heterogeneity of COPD; inherent heterogeneity exists related to grouping women and men together in the studies of COPD. Considering sex and gender differences and influences related to -omics may represent progress in susceptibility, diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic biomarker development and clinical innovation to improve the lung health of men and women.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dawn L DeMeo
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Abstract
Health and lifespan disparities between sexes are dependent on the immune responses. Men and women have different life styles which determine the environment, nutritional requirements and their interactions with the sex hormones. Sexual dimorphism in innate and adaptive immunity determines responses to infections and other environmental factors regulating health and diseases. Sex hormones regulate immune responses through the expression of receptors which differ for female and male hormones. Estrogen receptors are expressed in brain, lymphoid tissue cells and many immune cells while androgen receptors are limited in expression. Genetic, epigenetic factors and X chromosome linked immune function genes are important in enhanced adaptive immunity in females, leading to production of higher levels of antibodies compared to males. Different nutritional requirements and hormonal control of the mucosal microbiome and its function regulate mucosal immunity. Hormonal changes during various aspects of life and during aging control immune senescence. Evolutionarily, females have an advantage during young age when they are protected from infections by heightened immune reactivity though during aging that can lead to pathologies. Considering the sexual dimorphism in immunity, guidelines need to be established for sex-based treatments for optimal response.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Veena Taneja
- Department of Immunology and Rheumatology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States.
| |
Collapse
|