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Ohi K, Fujikane D, Takai K, Kuramitsu A, Muto Y, Sugiyama S, Shioiri T. Epigenetic signatures of social anxiety, panic disorders and stress experiences: Insights from genome-wide DNA methylation risk scores. Psychiatry Res 2024; 337:115984. [PMID: 38820651 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2024.115984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
Social anxiety disorder (SAD) and panic disorder (PD) are prevalent anxiety disorders characterized by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. Both disorders share overlapping features and often coexist, despite displaying distinct characteristics. Childhood life adversity, overall stressful life events, and genetic factors contribute to the development of these disorders. DNA methylation, an epigenetic modification, has been implicated in the pathogenesis of these diseases. In this study, we investigated whether whole-genome DNA methylation risk scores (MRSs) for SAD risk, severity of social anxiety, childhood life adversity, PD risk, and overall stressful life events were associated with SAD or PD case‒control status. Preliminary epigenome-wide association studies (EWASs) for SAD risk, severity of social anxiety, and childhood life adversity were conducted in 66 SAD individuals and 77 healthy controls (HCs). Similarly, EWASs for PD risk and overall stressful life events were performed in 182 PD individuals and 81 HCs. MRSs were calculated from these EWASs. MRSs derived from the EWASs of SAD risk and severity of social anxiety were greater in PD patients than in HCs. Additionally, MRSs derived from the EWASs of overall stressful life events, particularly in PD individuals, were lower in SAD individuals than in HCs. In contrast, MRSs for childhood life adversity or PD risk were not significantly associated with PD or SAD case‒control status. These findings highlight the epigenetic features shared in both disorders and the distinctive epigenetic features related to social avoidance in SAD patients, helping to elucidate the epigenetic basis of these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazutaka Ohi
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan; Department of General Internal Medicine, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan.
| | - Daisuke Fujikane
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Kentaro Takai
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Ayumi Kuramitsu
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Yukimasa Muto
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Shunsuke Sugiyama
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Toshiki Shioiri
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
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2
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Everson TM, Sehgal N, Barr DB, Panuwet P, Yakimavets V, Perez C, Shankar K, Eick SM, Pearson KJ, Andres A. Placental PFAS concentrations are associated with perturbations of placental DNA methylation at loci with important roles on cardiometabolic health. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2024:2024.05.06.24306905. [PMID: 38766233 PMCID: PMC11100840 DOI: 10.1101/2024.05.06.24306905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
The placenta is crucial for fetal development, is affected by PFAS toxicity, and evidence is accumulating that gestational PFAS perturb the epigenetic activity of the placenta. Gestational PFAS exposure is can adversely affect offspring, yet individual and cumulative impacts of PFAS on the placental epigenome remain underexplored. Here, we conducted an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) to examine the relationships between placental PFAS levels and DNA methylation in a cohort of mother-infant dyads in Arkansas. We measured 17 PFAS in human placental tissues and quantified placental DNA methylation levels via the Illumina EPIC Microarray. We tested for differential DNA methylation with individual PFAS, and with mixtures of multiple PFAS. Our results demonstrated that numerous epigenetic loci were perturbed by PFAS, with PFHxS exhibiting the most abundant effects. Mixture analyses suggested cumulative effects of PFOA and PFOS, while PFHxS may act more independently. We additionally explored whether sex-specific effects may be present and concluded that future large studies should explicitly test for sex-specific effects. The genes that are annotated to our PFAS-associated epigenetic loci are primarily involved in growth processes and cardiometabolic health, while some genes are involved in neurodevelopment. These findings shed light on how prenatal PFAS exposures affect birth outcomes and children's health, emphasizing the importance of understanding PFAS mechanisms in the in-utero environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Todd M. Everson
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Neha Sehgal
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Dana Boyd Barr
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Parinya Panuwet
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Volha Yakimavets
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Cynthia Perez
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kartik Shankar
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Nutrition, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
| | - Stephanie M. Eick
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Emory University Rollins School of Public Health, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Kevin J. Pearson
- Department of Pharmacology & Nutritional Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Medicine
| | - Aline Andres
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR
- Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center, Little Rock, AR
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3
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Schaffner SL, Casazza W, Artaud F, Konwar C, Merrill SM, Domenighetti C, Schulze-Hentrich JM, Lesage S, Brice A, Corvol JC, Mostafavi S, Dennis JK, Elbaz A, Kobor MS. Genetic variation and pesticide exposure influence blood DNA methylation signatures in females with early-stage Parkinson's disease. NPJ Parkinsons Dis 2024; 10:98. [PMID: 38714693 PMCID: PMC11076573 DOI: 10.1038/s41531-024-00704-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Although sex, genetics, and exposures can individually influence risk for sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD), the joint contributions of these factors to the epigenetic etiology of PD have not been comprehensively assessed. Here, we profiled sex-stratified genome-wide blood DNAm patterns, SNP genotype, and pesticide exposure in agricultural workers (71 early-stage PD cases, 147 controls) and explored replication in three independent samples of varying demographics (n = 218, 222, and 872). Using a region-based approach, we found more associations of blood DNAm with PD in females (69 regions) than in males (2 regions, Δβadj| ≥0.03, padj ≤ 0.05). For 48 regions in females, models including genotype or genotype and pesticide exposure substantially improved in explaining interindividual variation in DNAm (padj ≤ 0.05), and accounting for these variables decreased the estimated effect of PD on DNAm. The results suggested that genotype, and to a lesser degree, genotype-exposure interactions contributed to variation in PD-associated DNAm. Our findings should be further explored in larger study populations and in experimental systems, preferably with precise measures of exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- S L Schaffner
- Edwin S. H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - W Casazza
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Bioinformatics Graduate Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - F Artaud
- Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, Inserm, Gustave Roussy, CESP, 94805, Villejuif, France
| | - C Konwar
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - S M Merrill
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - C Domenighetti
- Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, Inserm, Gustave Roussy, CESP, 94805, Villejuif, France
| | - J M Schulze-Hentrich
- Department of Genetics/Epigenetics, Faculty NT, Saarland University, 66041, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - S Lesage
- Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau-Paris Brain Institute-ICM, INSERM, CNRS, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France
| | - A Brice
- Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau-Paris Brain Institute-ICM, INSERM, CNRS, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France
| | - J C Corvol
- Sorbonne Université, Institut du Cerveau-Paris Brain Institute-ICM, INSERM, CNRS, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France
- Sorbonne University, Assistance Publique Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris Brain Insitute - ICM, Inserm, CNRS, Department of Neurology and CIC Neurosciences, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France
| | - S Mostafavi
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Bioinformatics Graduate Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Paul Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - J K Dennis
- Edwin S. H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Bioinformatics Graduate Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - A Elbaz
- Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, Inserm, Gustave Roussy, CESP, 94805, Villejuif, France
| | - M S Kobor
- Edwin S. H. Leong Centre for Healthy Aging, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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Tesfaye M, Spindola LM, Stavrum AK, Shadrin A, Melle I, Andreassen OA, Le Hellard S. Sex effects on DNA methylation affect discovery in epigenome-wide association study of schizophrenia. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02513-9. [PMID: 38503926 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02513-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/21/2024]
Abstract
Sex differences in the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of schizophrenia are well-known; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying these differences remain unclear. Further, the potential advantages of sex-stratified meta-analyses of epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) of schizophrenia have not been investigated. Here, we performed sex-stratified EWAS meta-analyses to investigate whether sex stratification improves discovery, and to identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in schizophrenia. Peripheral blood-derived DNA methylation data from 1519 cases of schizophrenia (male n = 989, female n = 530) and 1723 controls (male n = 997, female n = 726) from three publicly available datasets, and the TOP cohort were meta-analyzed to compare sex-specific, sex-stratified, and sex-adjusted EWAS. The predictive power of each model was assessed by polymethylation score (PMS). The number of schizophrenia-associated differentially methylated positions identified was higher for the sex-stratified model than for the sex-adjusted one. We identified 20 schizophrenia-associated DMRs in the sex-stratified analysis. PMS from sex-stratified analysis outperformed that from sex-adjusted analysis in predicting schizophrenia. Notably, PMSs from the sex-stratified and female-only analyses, but not those from sex-adjusted or the male-only analyses, significantly predicted schizophrenia in males. The findings suggest that sex-stratified EWAS meta-analyses improve the identification of schizophrenia-associated epigenetic changes and highlight an interaction between sex and schizophrenia status on DNA methylation. Sex-specific DNA methylation may have potential implications for precision psychiatry and the development of stratified treatments for schizophrenia.
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Grants
- 273291, 273446, 326813, 223273 Norges Forskningsråd (Research Council of Norway)
- 273291, 273446, 326813, 223273 Norges Forskningsråd (Research Council of Norway)
- 273291, 273446, 326813, 223273 Norges Forskningsråd (Research Council of Norway)
- 273291, 273446, 326813, 223273 Norges Forskningsråd (Research Council of Norway)
- 273291, 273446, 326813, 223273 Norges Forskningsråd (Research Council of Norway)
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Affiliation(s)
- Markos Tesfaye
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
- NORMENT, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
| | - Leticia M Spindola
- NORMENT, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Dr. Einar Martens Research Group for Biological Psychiatry, Department of Medical Genetics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
- Bergen Center for Brain Plasticity, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Anne-Kristin Stavrum
- NORMENT, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
- Dr. Einar Martens Research Group for Biological Psychiatry, Department of Medical Genetics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway
| | - Alexey Shadrin
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ingrid Melle
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Ole A Andreassen
- NORMENT, Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital and Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
- KG Jebsen Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Oslo and Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway
| | - Stephanie Le Hellard
- NORMENT, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
- Dr. Einar Martens Research Group for Biological Psychiatry, Department of Medical Genetics, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
- Bergen Center for Brain Plasticity, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.
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5
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Camerota M, Lester BM, Castellanos FX, Carter BS, Check J, Helderman J, Hofheimer JA, McGowan EC, Neal CR, Pastyrnak SL, Smith LM, O'Shea TM, Marsit CJ, Everson TM. Epigenome-wide association study identifies neonatal DNA methylation associated with two-year attention problems in children born very preterm. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:126. [PMID: 38418845 PMCID: PMC10902402 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02841-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Prior research has identified epigenetic predictors of attention problems in school-aged children but has not yet investigated these in young children, or children at elevated risk of attention problems due to preterm birth. The current study evaluated epigenome-wide associations between neonatal DNA methylation and attention problems at age 2 years in children born very preterm. Participants included 441 children from the Neonatal Neurobehavior and Outcomes in Very Preterm Infants (NOVI) Study, a multi-site study of infants born < 30 weeks gestational age. DNA methylation was measured from buccal swabs collected at NICU discharge using the Illumina MethylationEPIC Bead Array. Attention problems were assessed at 2 years of adjusted age using the attention problems subscale of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). After adjustment for multiple testing, DNA methylation at 33 CpG sites was associated with child attention problems. Differentially methylated CpG sites were located in genes previously linked to physical and mental health, including several genes associated with ADHD in prior epigenome-wide and genome-wide association studies. Several CpG sites were located in genes previously linked to exposure to prenatal risk factors in the NOVI sample. Neonatal epigenetics measured at NICU discharge could be useful in identifying preterm children at risk for long-term attention problems and related psychiatric disorders, who could benefit from early prevention and intervention efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Camerota
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
- Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk, Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Women and Infants Hospital, Providence, RI, USA.
| | - Barry M Lester
- Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI, USA
- Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk, Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Women and Infants Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Women and Infants Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Francisco Xavier Castellanos
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, USA
| | - Brian S Carter
- Department of Pediatrics-Neonatology, Children's Mercy Hospital, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Jennifer Check
- Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Jennifer Helderman
- Department of Pediatrics, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA
| | - Julie A Hofheimer
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Elisabeth C McGowan
- Department of Pediatrics, Alpert Medical School of Brown University and Women and Infants Hospital, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Charles R Neal
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Steven L Pastyrnak
- Department of Pediatrics, Spectrum Health-Helen DeVos Hospital, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - Lynne M Smith
- Department of Pediatrics, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, USA
| | - Thomas Michael O'Shea
- Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - Carmen J Marsit
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Todd M Everson
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
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Casazza W, Inkster AM, Del Gobbo GF, Yuan V, Delahaye F, Marsit C, Park YP, Robinson WP, Mostafavi S, Dennis JK. Sex-dependent placental methylation quantitative trait loci provide insight into the prenatal origins of childhood onset traits and conditions. iScience 2024; 27:109047. [PMID: 38357671 PMCID: PMC10865402 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Molecular quantitative trait loci (QTLs) allow us to understand the biology captured in genome-wide association studies (GWASs). The placenta regulates fetal development and shows sex differences in DNA methylation. We therefore hypothesized that placental methylation QTL (mQTL) explain variation in genetic risk for childhood onset traits, and that effects differ by sex. We analyzed 411 term placentas from two studies and found 49,252 methylation (CpG) sites with mQTL and 2,489 CpG sites with sex-dependent mQTL. All mQTL were enriched in regions that typically affect gene expression in prenatal tissues. All mQTL were also enriched in GWAS results for growth- and immune-related traits, but male- and female-specific mQTL were more enriched than cross-sex mQTL. mQTL colocalized with trait loci at 777 CpG sites, with 216 (28%) specific to males or females. Overall, mQTL specific to male and female placenta capture otherwise overlooked variation in childhood traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- William Casazza
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Bioinformatics Graduate Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Amy M. Inkster
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Giulia F. Del Gobbo
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Victor Yuan
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | - Carmen Marsit
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Yongjin P. Park
- Department of Statistics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Wendy P. Robinson
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Sara Mostafavi
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Paul Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jessica K. Dennis
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Bioinformatics Graduate Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
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7
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Ohi K, Shimada M, Soda M, Nishizawa D, Fujikane D, Takai K, Kuramitsu A, Muto Y, Sugiyama S, Hasegawa J, Kitaichi K, Ikeda K, Shioiri T. Genome-wide DNA methylation risk scores for schizophrenia derived from blood and brain tissues further explain the genetic risk in patients stratified by polygenic risk scores for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. BMJ MENTAL HEALTH 2024; 27:e300936. [PMID: 38216218 PMCID: PMC10806921 DOI: 10.1136/bmjment-2023-300936] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Genetic and environmental factors contribute to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD). Among genetic risk groups stratified by combinations of Polygenic Risk Score (PRS) deciles for SZ, BD and SZ versus BD, genetic SZ risk groups had high SZ risk and prominent cognitive impairments. Furthermore, epigenetic alterations are implicated in these disorders. However, it was unclear whether DNA Methylation Risk Scores (MRSs) for SZ risk derived from blood and brain tissues were associated with SZ risk, particularly the PRS-stratified genetic SZ risk group. METHODS Epigenome-wide association studies (EWASs) of SZ risk in whole blood were preliminarily conducted between 66 SZ patients and 30 healthy controls (HCs) and among genetic risk groups (individuals with low genetic risk for SZ and BD in HCs (n=30) and in SZ patients (n=11), genetic BD risk in SZ patients (n=25) and genetic SZ risk in SZ patients (n=30)) stratified by combinations of PRSs for SZ, BD and SZ versus BD. Next, differences in MRSs based on independent EWASs of SZ risk in whole blood, postmortem frontal cortex (FC) and superior temporal gyrus (STG) were investigated among our case‒control and PRS-stratified genetic risk status groups. RESULTS Among case‒control and genetic risk status groups, 33 and 351 genome-wide significant differentially methylated positions (DMPs) associated with SZ were identified, respectively, many of which were hypermethylated. Compared with the low genetic risk in HCs group, the genetic SZ risk in SZ group had 39 genome-wide significant DMPs, while the genetic BD risk in SZ group had only six genome-wide significant DMPs. The MRSs for SZ risk derived from whole blood, FC and STG were higher in our SZ patients than in HCs in whole blood and were particularly higher in the genetic SZ risk in SZ group than in the low genetic risk in HCs and genetic BD risk in SZ groups. Conversely, the MRSs for SZ risk based on our whole-blood EWASs among genetic risk groups were also associated with SZ in the FC and STG. There were no correlations between the MRSs and PRSs. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the MRS is a potential genetic marker in understanding SZ, particularly in patients with a genetic SZ risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazutaka Ohi
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
- Department of General Internal Medicine, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan
| | - Mihoko Shimada
- Genome Medical Science Project (Toyama), National Center for Global Health and Medicine (NCGM), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Midori Soda
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutics, Department of Biomedical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Daisuke Nishizawa
- Addictive Substance Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Daisuke Fujikane
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Kentaro Takai
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Ayumi Kuramitsu
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Yukimasa Muto
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Shunsuke Sugiyama
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
| | - Junko Hasegawa
- Addictive Substance Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kiyoyuki Kitaichi
- Laboratory of Pharmaceutics, Department of Biomedical Pharmaceutics, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, Gifu, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Ikeda
- Addictive Substance Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshiki Shioiri
- Department of Psychiatry, Gifu University Graduate School of Medicine, Gifu, Japan
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8
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Bakulski KM, Blostein F, London SJ. Linking Prenatal Environmental Exposures to Lifetime Health with Epigenome-Wide Association Studies: State-of-the-Science Review and Future Recommendations. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2023; 131:126001. [PMID: 38048101 PMCID: PMC10695268 DOI: 10.1289/ehp12956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The prenatal environment influences lifetime health; epigenetic mechanisms likely predominate. In 2016, the first international consortium paper on cigarette smoking during pregnancy and offspring DNA methylation identified extensive, reproducible exposure signals. This finding raised expectations for epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) of other exposures. OBJECTIVE We review the current state-of-the-science for DNA methylation associations across prenatal exposures in humans and provide future recommendations. METHODS We reviewed 134 prenatal environmental EWAS of DNA methylation in newborns, focusing on 51 epidemiological studies with meta-analysis or replication testing. Exposures spanned cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, air pollution, dietary factors, psychosocial stress, metals, other chemicals, and other exogenous factors. Of the reproducible DNA methylation signatures, we examined implementation as exposure biomarkers. RESULTS Only 19 (14%) of these prenatal EWAS were conducted in cohorts of 1,000 or more individuals, reflecting the still early stage of the field. To date, the largest perinatal EWAS sample size was 6,685 participants. For comparison, the most recent genome-wide association study for birth weight included more than 300,000 individuals. Replication, at some level, was successful with exposures to cigarette smoking, folate, dietary glycemic index, particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter < 10 μ m and < 2.5 μ m , nitrogen dioxide, mercury, cadmium, arsenic, electronic waste, PFAS, and DDT. Reproducible effects of a more limited set of prenatal exposures (smoking, folate) enabled robust methylation biomarker creation. DISCUSSION Current evidence demonstrates the scientific premise for reproducible DNA methylation exposure signatures. Better powered EWAS could identify signatures across many exposures and enable comprehensive biomarker development. Whether methylation biomarkers of exposures themselves cause health effects remains unclear. We expect that larger EWAS with enhanced coverage of epigenome and exposome, along with improved single-cell technologies and evolving methods for integrative multi-omics analyses and causal inference, will expand mechanistic understanding of causal links between environmental exposures, the epigenome, and health outcomes throughout the life course. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP12956.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Freida Blostein
- University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Stephanie J. London
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, USA
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9
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Chen J, Gatev E, Everson T, Conneely KN, Koen N, Epstein MP, Kobor MS, Zar HJ, Stein DJ, Hüls A. Pruning and thresholding approach for methylation risk scores in multi-ancestry populations. Epigenetics 2023; 18:2187172. [PMID: 36908043 PMCID: PMC10026878 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2023.2187172] [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] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent efforts have focused on developing methylation risk scores (MRS), a weighted sum of the individual's DNA methylation (DNAm) values of pre-selected CpG sites. Most of the current MRS approaches that utilize Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) summary statistics only include genome-wide significant CpG sites and do not consider co-methylation. New methods that relax the p-value threshold to include more CpG sites and account for the inter-correlation of DNAm might improve the predictive performance of MRS. We paired informed co-methylation pruning with P-value thresholding to generate pruning and thresholding (P+T) MRS and evaluated its performance among multi-ancestry populations. Through simulation studies and real data analyses, we demonstrated that pruning provides an improvement over simple thresholding methods for prediction of phenotypes. We demonstrated that European-derived summary statistics can be used to develop P+T MRS among other populations such as African populations. However, the prediction accuracy of P+T MRS may differ across multi-ancestry population due to environmental/cultural/social differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyu Chen
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Evan Gatev
- Institute of Molecular Biology "Acad. Roumen Tsanev", Sofia, Bulgaria
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Todd Everson
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Karen N Conneely
- Department of Human Genetics, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Nastassja Koen
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Michael P Epstein
- Department of Human Genetics, School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA
| | - Michael S Kobor
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, Canada
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Heather J Zar
- Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Unit on Child and Adolescent Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Dan J Stein
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Anke Hüls
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA USA
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
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10
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Górska A, Urbanowicz M, Grochowalski Ł, Seweryn M, Sobalska-Kwapis M, Wojdacz T, Lange M, Gruchała-Niedoszytko M, Jarczak J, Strapagiel D, Górska-Ponikowska M, Pelikant-Małecka I, Kalinowski L, Nedoszytko B, Gutowska-Owsiak D, Niedoszytko M. Genome-Wide DNA Methylation and Gene Expression in Patients with Indolent Systemic Mastocytosis. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13910. [PMID: 37762215 PMCID: PMC10530743 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241813910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Mastocytosis is a clinically heterogenous, usually acquired disease of the mast cells with a survival time that depends on the time of onset. It ranges from skin-limited to systemic disease, including indolent and more aggressive variants. The presence of the oncogenic KIT p. D816V gene somatic mutation is a crucial element in the pathogenesis. However, further epigenetic regulation may also affect the expression of genes that are relevant to the pathology. Epigenetic alterations are responsible for regulating the expression of genes that do not modify the DNA sequence. In general, it is accepted that DNA methylation inhibits the binding of transcription factors, thereby down-regulating gene expression. However, so far, little is known about the epigenetic factors leading to the clinical onset of mastocytosis. Therefore, it is essential to identify possible epigenetic predictors, indicators of disease progression, and their link to the clinical picture to establish appropriate management and a therapeutic strategy. The aim of this study was to analyze genome-wide methylation profiles to identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in patients with mastocytosis compared to healthy individuals, as well as the genes located in those regulatory regions. Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling was performed in peripheral blood collected from 80 adult patients with indolent systemic mastocytosis (ISM), the most prevalent subvariant of mastocytosis, and 40 healthy adult volunteers. A total of 117 DNA samples met the criteria for the bisulfide conversion step and microarray analysis. Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis was performed using a MethylationEPIC BeadChip kit. Further analysis was focused on the genomic regions rather than individual CpG sites. Co-methylated regions (CMRs) were assigned via the CoMeBack method. To identify DMRs between the groups, a linear regression model with age as the covariate on CMRs was performed using Limma. Using the available data for cases only, an association analysis was performed between methylation status and tryptase levels, as well as the context of allergy, and anaphylaxis. KEGG pathway mapping was used to identify genes differentially expressed in anaphylaxis. Based on the DNA methylation results, the expression of 18 genes was then analyzed via real-time PCR in 20 patients with mastocytosis and 20 healthy adults. A comparison of the genome-wide DNA methylation profile between the mastocytosis patients and healthy controls revealed significant differences in the methylation levels of 85 selected CMRs. Among those, the most intriguing CMRs are 31 genes located within the regulatory regions. In addition, among the 10 CMRs located in the promoter regions, 4 and 6 regions were found to be either hypo- or hypermethylated, respectively. Importantly, three oncogenes-FOXQ1, TWIST1, and ERG-were identified as differentially methylated in mastocytosis patients, for the first time. Functional annotation revealed the most important biological processes in which the differentially methylated genes were involved as transcription, multicellular development, and signal transduction. The biological process related to histone H2A monoubiquitination (GO:0035518) was found to be enriched in association with higher tryptase levels, which may be associated with more aberrant mast cells and, therefore, more atypical mast cell disease. The signal in the BAIAP2 gene was detected in the context of anaphylaxis, but no significant differential methylation was found in the context of allergy. Furthermore, increased expression of genes encoding integral membrane components (GRM2 and KRTCAP3) was found in mastocytosis patients. This study confirms that patients with mastocytosis differ significantly in terms of methylation levels in selected CMRs of genes involved in specific molecular processes. The results of gene expression profiling indicate the increased expression of genes belonging to the integral component of the membrane in mastocytosis patients (GRM2 and KRTCAP3). Further work is warranted, especially in relation to the disease subvariants, to identify links between the methylation status and the symptoms and novel therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Górska
- Department of Allergology, Medical University of Gdansk, 7 Dębinki Street, 80-210 Gdansk, Poland;
| | - Maria Urbanowicz
- Biobank Lab, Department of Oncobiology and Epigenetics, University of Lodz, 90-237 Lodz, Poland (M.S.); (M.S.-K.); (D.S.)
| | - Łukasz Grochowalski
- Biobank Lab, Department of Oncobiology and Epigenetics, University of Lodz, 90-237 Lodz, Poland (M.S.); (M.S.-K.); (D.S.)
| | - Michał Seweryn
- Biobank Lab, Department of Oncobiology and Epigenetics, University of Lodz, 90-237 Lodz, Poland (M.S.); (M.S.-K.); (D.S.)
| | - Marta Sobalska-Kwapis
- Biobank Lab, Department of Oncobiology and Epigenetics, University of Lodz, 90-237 Lodz, Poland (M.S.); (M.S.-K.); (D.S.)
| | - Tomasz Wojdacz
- Independent Clinical Epigenetics Laboratory, Pomeranian Medical University, 71-281 Szczecin, Poland;
| | - Magdalena Lange
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-210 Gdansk, Poland; (M.L.); (B.N.)
| | | | - Justyna Jarczak
- Biobank Lab, Department of Oncobiology and Epigenetics, University of Lodz, 90-237 Lodz, Poland (M.S.); (M.S.-K.); (D.S.)
| | - Dominik Strapagiel
- Biobank Lab, Department of Oncobiology and Epigenetics, University of Lodz, 90-237 Lodz, Poland (M.S.); (M.S.-K.); (D.S.)
| | | | - Iwona Pelikant-Małecka
- Department of Medical Laboratory Diagnostics–Biobank Fahrenheit, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-210 Gdansk, Poland; (I.P.-M.); (L.K.)
| | - Leszek Kalinowski
- Department of Medical Laboratory Diagnostics–Biobank Fahrenheit, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-210 Gdansk, Poland; (I.P.-M.); (L.K.)
- BioTechMed Centre, Department of Mechanics of Materials and Structures, Gdansk University of Technology, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland
| | - Bogusław Nedoszytko
- Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-210 Gdansk, Poland; (M.L.); (B.N.)
- Invicta Fertility and Reproductive Center, Molecular Laboratory, 81-740 Sopot, Poland
| | - Danuta Gutowska-Owsiak
- Laboratory of Experimental and Translational Immunology, University of Gdansk, Intercollegiate Faculty of Biotechnology, University of Gdansk and Medical University of Gdansk, 80-307 Gdansk, Poland;
| | - Marek Niedoszytko
- Department of Allergology, Medical University of Gdansk, 7 Dębinki Street, 80-210 Gdansk, Poland;
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11
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Fu MP, Merrill SM, Sharma M, Gibson WT, Turvey SE, Kobor MS. Rare diseases of epigenetic origin: Challenges and opportunities. Front Genet 2023; 14:1113086. [PMID: 36814905 PMCID: PMC9939656 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1113086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Rare diseases (RDs), more than 80% of which have a genetic origin, collectively affect approximately 350 million people worldwide. Progress in next-generation sequencing technology has both greatly accelerated the pace of discovery of novel RDs and provided more accurate means for their diagnosis. RDs that are driven by altered epigenetic regulation with an underlying genetic basis are referred to as rare diseases of epigenetic origin (RDEOs). These diseases pose unique challenges in research, as they often show complex genetic and clinical heterogeneity arising from unknown gene-disease mechanisms. Furthermore, multiple other factors, including cell type and developmental time point, can confound attempts to deconvolute the pathophysiology of these disorders. These challenges are further exacerbated by factors that contribute to epigenetic variability and the difficulty of collecting sufficient participant numbers in human studies. However, new molecular and bioinformatics techniques will provide insight into how these disorders manifest over time. This review highlights recent studies addressing these challenges with innovative solutions. Further research will elucidate the mechanisms of action underlying unique RDEOs and facilitate the discovery of treatments and diagnostic biomarkers for screening, thereby improving health trajectories and clinical outcomes of affected patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maggie P. Fu
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Sarah M. Merrill
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Mehul Sharma
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - William T. Gibson
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Stuart E. Turvey
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, BC Children’s Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Michael S. Kobor
- Department of Medical Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada,BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada,*Correspondence: Michael S. Kobor,
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12
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Merrill SM, Gladish N, Fu MP, Moore SR, Konwar C, Giesbrecht GF, MacIssac JL, Kobor MS, Letourneau NL. Associations of peripheral blood DNA methylation and estimated monocyte proportion differences during infancy with toddler attachment style. Attach Hum Dev 2023; 25:132-161. [PMID: 34196256 DOI: 10.1080/14616734.2021.1938872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Attachment is a motivational system promoting felt security to a caregiver resulting in a persistent internal working model of interpersonal behavior. Attachment styles are developed in early social environments and predict future health and development outcomes with potential biological signatures, such as epigenetic modifications like DNA methylation (DNAm). Thus, we hypothesized infant DNAm would associate with toddler attachment styles. An epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) of blood DNAm from 3-month-old infants was regressed onto children's attachment style from the Strange Situation Procedure at 22-months at multiple DNAm Cytosine-phosphate-Guanine (CpG) sites. The 26 identified CpGs associated with proinflammatory immune phenotypes and cognitive development. In post-hoc analyses, only maternal cognitive-growth fostering, encouraging intellectual exploration, contributed. For disorganized children, DNAm-derived cell-type proportions estimated higher monocytes -cells in immune responses hypothesized to increase with early adversity. Collectively, these findings suggested the potential biological embedding of both adverse and advantageous social environments as early as 3-months-old.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Merrill
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Nicole Gladish
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Maggie P Fu
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Sarah R Moore
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Chaini Konwar
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Gerald F Giesbrecht
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.,Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Julia L MacIssac
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Michael S Kobor
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, Canada.,Program in Child and Brain Development, CIFAR, Toronto, Canada
| | - Nicole L Letourneau
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.,Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.,Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
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13
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Inkster AM, Wong MT, Matthews AM, Brown CJ, Robinson WP. Who's afraid of the X? Incorporating the X and Y chromosomes into the analysis of DNA methylation array data. Epigenetics Chromatin 2023; 16:1. [PMID: 36609459 PMCID: PMC9825011 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-022-00477-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Many human disease phenotypes manifest differently by sex, making the development of methods for incorporating X and Y-chromosome data into analyses vital. Unfortunately, X and Y chromosome data are frequently excluded from large-scale analyses of the human genome and epigenome due to analytical complexity associated with sex chromosome dosage differences between XX and XY individuals, and the impact of X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) on the epigenome. As such, little attention has been given to considering the methods by which sex chromosome data may be included in analyses of DNA methylation (DNAme) array data. RESULTS With Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 DNAme array data from 634 placental samples, we investigated the effects of probe filtering, normalization, and batch correction on DNAme data from the X and Y chromosomes. Processing steps were evaluated in both mixed-sex and sex-stratified subsets of the analysis cohort to identify whether including both sexes impacted processing results. We found that identification of probes that have a high detection p-value, or that are non-variable, should be performed in sex-stratified data subsets to avoid over- and under-estimation of the quantity of probes eligible for removal, respectively. All normalization techniques investigated returned X and Y DNAme data that were highly correlated with the raw data from the same samples. We found no difference in batch correction results after application to mixed-sex or sex-stratified cohorts. Additionally, we identify two analytical methods suitable for XY chromosome data, the choice between which should be guided by the research question of interest, and we performed a proof-of-concept analysis studying differential DNAme on the X and Y chromosome in the context of placental acute chorioamnionitis. Finally, we provide an annotation of probe types that may be desirable to filter in X and Y chromosome analyses, including probes in repetitive elements, the X-transposed region, and cancer-testis gene promoters. CONCLUSION While there may be no single "best" approach for analyzing DNAme array data from the X and Y chromosome, analysts must consider key factors during processing and analysis of sex chromosome data to accommodate the underlying biology of these chromosomes, and the technical limitations of DNA methylation arrays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy M Inkster
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, 950 W 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3N1, Canada.
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, 4500 Oak St, Vancouver, V6H 3N1, Canada.
| | - Martin T Wong
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, 4500 Oak St, Vancouver, V6H 3N1, Canada
| | - Allison M Matthews
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, 950 W 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3N1, Canada
- Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, V6T 1Z7, Canada
| | - Carolyn J Brown
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, 4500 Oak St, Vancouver, V6H 3N1, Canada
| | - Wendy P Robinson
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, 950 W 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3N1, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, 4500 Oak St, Vancouver, V6H 3N1, Canada
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14
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Chan MHM, Merrill SM, Konwar C, Kobor MS. An integrative framework and recommendations for the study of DNA methylation in the context of race and ethnicity. DISCOVER SOCIAL SCIENCE AND HEALTH 2023; 3:9. [PMID: 37122633 PMCID: PMC10118232 DOI: 10.1007/s44155-023-00039-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
Human social epigenomics research is critical to elucidate the intersection of social and genetic influences underlying racial and ethnic differences in health and development. However, this field faces major challenges in both methodology and interpretation with regard to disentangling confounded social and biological aspects of race and ethnicity. To address these challenges, we discuss how these constructs have been approached in the past and how to move forward in studying DNA methylation (DNAm), one of the best-characterized epigenetic marks in humans, in a responsible and appropriately nuanced manner. We highlight self-reported racial and ethnic identity as the primary measure in this field, and discuss its implications in DNAm research. Racial and ethnic identity reflects the biological embedding of an individual's sociocultural experience and environmental exposures in combination with the underlying genetic architecture of the human population (i.e., genetic ancestry). Our integrative framework demonstrates how to examine DNAm in the context of race and ethnicity, while considering both intrinsic factors-including genetic ancestry-and extrinsic factors-including structural and sociocultural environment and developmental niches-when focusing on early-life experience. We reviewed DNAm research in relation to health disparities given its relevance to race and ethnicity as social constructs. Here, we provide recommendations for the study of DNAm addressing racial and ethnic differences, such as explicitly acknowledging the self-reported nature of racial and ethnic identity, empirically examining the effects of genetic variants and accounting for genetic ancestry, and investigating race-related and culturally regulated environmental exposures and experiences. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s44155-023-00039-z.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meingold Hiu-ming Chan
- 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
- 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
| | - Chaini Konwar
- 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
| | - Michael S. Kobor
- 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
- Edwin S. H. Leong Healthy Aging Program, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC Canada
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15
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Lussier AA, Zhu Y, Smith BJ, Simpkin AJ, Smith AD, Suderman MJ, Walton E, Ressler KJ, Dunn EC. Updates to data versions and analytic methods influence the reproducibility of results from epigenome-wide association studies. Epigenetics 2022; 17:1373-1388. [PMID: 35156895 PMCID: PMC9601563 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2022.2028072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Revised: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Biomedical research has grown increasingly cooperative through the sharing of consortia-level epigenetic data. Since consortia preprocess data prior to distribution, new processing pipelines can lead to different versions of the same dataset. Similarly, analytic frameworks evolve to incorporate cutting-edge methods and best practices. However, it remains unknown how different data and analytic versions alter the results of epigenome-wide analyses, which could influence the replicability of epigenetic associations. Thus, we assessed the impact of these changes using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort. We analysed DNA methylation from two data versions, processed using separate preprocessing and analytic pipelines, examining associations between seven childhood adversities or prenatal smoking exposure and DNA methylation at age 7. We performed two sets of analyses: (1) epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS); (2) Structured Life Course Modelling Approach (SLCMA), a two-stage method that models time-dependent effects. SLCMA results were also compared across two analytic versions. Data version changes impacted both EWAS and SLCMA analyses, yielding different associations at conventional p-value thresholds. However, the magnitude and direction of associations was generally consistent between data versions, regardless of p-values. Differences were especially apparent in analyses of childhood adversity, while smoking associations were more consistent using significance thresholds. SLCMA analytic versions similarly altered top associations, but time-dependent effects remained concordant. Alterations to data and analytic versions influenced the results of epigenome-wide analyses. Our findings highlight that magnitude and direction are better measures for replication and stability than p-value thresholds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre A. Lussier
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Yiwen Zhu
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Brooke J. Smith
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew J. Simpkin
- School of Mathematics,Statistics and Applied Mathematics, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
| | - Andrew D.A.C. Smith
- Mathematics and Statistics Research Group, University of the West of England, Bristol, UK
| | - Matthew J. Suderman
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Esther Walton
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Kerry J. Ressler
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA
| | - Erin C. Dunn
- Psychiatric and Neurodevelopmental Genetics Unit, Center for Genomic Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Center on the Developing Child, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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16
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Abrishamcar S, Chen J, Feil D, Kilanowski A, Koen N, Vanker A, Wedderburn CJ, Donald KA, Zar HJ, Stein DJ, Hüls A. DNA methylation as a potential mediator of the association between prenatal tobacco and alcohol exposure and child neurodevelopment in a South African birth cohort. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:418. [PMID: 36180424 PMCID: PMC9525659 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02195-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Prenatal tobacco exposure (PTE) and prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) have been associated with an increased risk of delayed neurodevelopment in children as well as differential newborn DNA methylation (DNAm). However, the biological mechanisms connecting PTE and PAE, DNAm, and neurodevelopment are largely unknown. Here we aim to determine whether differential DNAm mediates the association between PTE and PAE and neurodevelopment at 6 (N = 112) and 24 months (N = 184) in children from the South African Drakenstein Child Health Study. PTE and PAE were assessed antenatally using urine cotinine measurements and the ASSIST questionnaire, respectively. Cord blood DNAm was measured using the EPIC and 450 K BeadChips. Neurodevelopment (cognitive, language, motor, adaptive behavior, socioemotional) was measured using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition. We constructed methylation risk scores (MRS) for PTE and PAE and conducted causal mediation analysis (CMA) with these MRS as mediators. Next, we conducted a high-dimensional mediation analysis to identify individual CpG sites as potential mediators, followed by a CMA to estimate the average causal mediation effects (ACME) and total effect (TE). PTE and PAE were associated with neurodevelopment at 6 but not at 24 months. PTE MRS reached a prediction accuracy (R2) of 0.23 but did not significantly mediate the association between PTE and neurodevelopment. PAE MRS was not predictive of PAE (R2 = 0.006). For PTE, 31 CpG sites and eight CpG sites were identified as significant mediators (ACME and TE P < 0.05) for the cognitive and motor domains at 6 months, respectively. For PAE, 16 CpG sites and 1 CpG site were significant mediators for the motor and adaptive behavior domains at 6 months, respectively. Several of the associated genes, including MAD1L1, CAMTA1, and ALDH1A2 have been implicated in neurodevelopmental delay, suggesting that differential DNAm may partly explain the biological mechanisms underlying the relationship between PTE and PAE and child neurodevelopment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarina Abrishamcar
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Junyu Chen
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Dakotah Feil
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Anna Kilanowski
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
- Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry, and Epidemiology, Pettenkofer School of Public Health, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany
- Division of Metabolic and Nutritional Medicine, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, University of Munich Medical Center, Munich, Germany
| | - Nastassja Koen
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Aneesa Vanker
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Catherine J Wedderburn
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Clinical Research, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Kirsten A Donald
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Heather J Zar
- South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Dan J Stein
- Neuroscience Institute, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) Unit on Risk and Resilience in Mental Disorders, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Anke Hüls
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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17
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Kilanowski A, Chen J, Everson T, Thiering E, Wilson R, Gladish N, Waldenberger M, Zhang H, Celedón JC, Burchard EG, Peters A, Standl M, Hüls A. Methylation risk scores for childhood aeroallergen sensitization: Results from the LISA birth cohort. Allergy 2022; 77:2803-2817. [PMID: 35437756 PMCID: PMC9437118 DOI: 10.1111/all.15315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epigenomic (e.g., DNA methylation [DNAm]) changes have been hypothesized as intermediate step linking environmental exposures with allergic disease. Associations between individual DNAm at CpGs and allergic diseases have been reported, but their joint predictive capability is unknown. METHODS Data were obtained from 240 children of the German LISA cohort. DNAm was measured in blood clots at 6 (N = 234) and 10 years (N = 227) using the Illumina EPIC chip. Presence of aeroallergen sensitization was measured in blood at 6, 10, and 15 years. We calculated six methylation risk scores (MRS) for allergy-related phenotypes, like total and specific IgE, asthma, or any allergies, based on available publications and assessed their performances both cross-sectionally (biomarker) and prospectively (predictor of the disease). Dose-response associations between aeroallergen sensitization and MRS were evaluated. RESULTS All six allergy-related MRS were highly correlated (r > .86), and seven CpGs were included in more than one MRS. Cross-sectionally, we observed an 81% increased risk for aeroallergen sensitization at 6 years with an increased MRS by one standard deviation (best-performing MRS, 95% confidence interval = [43%; 227%]). Significant associations were also seen cross-sectionally at 10 years and prospectively, though the effect of the latter was attenuated when restricted to participants not sensitized at baseline. A clear dose-response relationship with levels of aeroallergen sensitization could be established cross-sectionally, but not prospectively. CONCLUSION We found good classification and prediction capabilities of calculated allergy-related MRS cross-sectionally, underlining the relevance of altered gene-regulation in allergic diseases and providing insights into potential DNAm biomarkers of aeroallergen sensitization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Kilanowski
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Institute for Medical Information Processing, Biometry, and Epidemiology; Pettenkofer School of Public Health, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany,Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.,Division of Metabolic and Nutritional Medicine, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, University of Munich Medical Center, Munich, Germany
| | - Junyu Chen
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Todd Everson
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Elisabeth Thiering
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.,Division of Metabolic and Nutritional Medicine, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, University of Munich Medical Center, Munich, Germany
| | - Rory Wilson
- Research Unit Molecular Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Nicole Gladish
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, British Columbia Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada.,Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Melanie Waldenberger
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.,Research Unit Molecular Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Hongmei Zhang
- Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN
| | - Juan C. Celedón
- Division of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine, UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh
| | | | - Annette Peters
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.,Chair of Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians University, Marchioninistr. 15, 81377 Munich, Germany
| | - Marie Standl
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.,German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Gießen, Germany.,Corresponding Author Dr. Anke Huels (for methodologic requests), Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Department of Epidemiology, 1518 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, Phone: 404-727-4103, ; Dr. Marie Standl (for data related requests), Helmholtz Zentrum München - Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Institute of Epidemiology, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Phone: +49 89 3187-2952,
| | - Anke Hüls
- Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.,Corresponding Author Dr. Anke Huels (for methodologic requests), Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Department of Epidemiology, 1518 Clifton Rd NE, Atlanta, GA 30322, Phone: 404-727-4103, ; Dr. Marie Standl (for data related requests), Helmholtz Zentrum München - Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt (GmbH), Institute of Epidemiology, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, D-85764 Neuherberg, Phone: +49 89 3187-2952,
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18
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Schaffner SL, Wassouf Z, Lazaro DF, Xylaki M, Gladish N, Lin DTS, MacIsaac J, Ramadori K, Hentrich T, Schulze-Hentrich JM, Outeiro TF, Kobor MS. Alpha-synuclein overexpression induces epigenomic dysregulation of glutamate signaling and locomotor pathways. Hum Mol Genet 2022; 31:3694-3714. [PMID: 35567546 PMCID: PMC9616577 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddac104] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Revised: 04/15/2022] [Accepted: 05/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurological disorder with complex interindividual etiology that is becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide. Elevated alpha-synuclein levels can increase risk of PD and may influence epigenetic regulation of PD pathways. Here, we report genome-wide DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation alterations associated with overexpression of two PD-linked alpha-synuclein variants (wild-type and A30P) in LUHMES cells differentiated to dopaminergic neurons. Alpha-synuclein altered DNA methylation at thousands of CpGs and DNA hydroxymethylation at hundreds of CpGs in both genotypes, primarily in locomotor behavior and glutamate signaling pathway genes. In some cases, epigenetic changes were associated with transcription. SMITE network analysis incorporating H3K4me1 ChIP-seq to score DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation changes across promoters, enhancers, and gene bodies confirmed epigenetic and transcriptional deregulation of glutamate signaling modules in both genotypes. Our results identify distinct and shared impacts of alpha-synuclein variants on the epigenome, and associate alpha-synuclein with the epigenetic etiology of PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha L Schaffner
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Zinah Wassouf
- Department of Experimental Neurodegeneration, Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain, Center for Biostructural Imaging of Neurodegeneration, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.,German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 37075 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Diana F Lazaro
- Department of Experimental Neurodegeneration, Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain, Center for Biostructural Imaging of Neurodegeneration, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Mary Xylaki
- Department of Experimental Neurodegeneration, Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain, Center for Biostructural Imaging of Neurodegeneration, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Nicole Gladish
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - David T S Lin
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Julia MacIsaac
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Katia Ramadori
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Thomas Hentrich
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Julia M Schulze-Hentrich
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Tiago F Outeiro
- Department of Experimental Neurodegeneration, Center for Nanoscale Microscopy and Molecular Physiology of the Brain, Center for Biostructural Imaging of Neurodegeneration, University Medical Center Göttingen, 37073 Göttingen, Germany.,German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), 37075 Göttingen, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine, 37075 Göttingen, Germany.,Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK
| | - Michael S Kobor
- Department of Medical Genetics, Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, British Columbia Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4H4, Canada
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19
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Mordaunt CE, Mouat JS, Schmidt RJ, LaSalle JM. Comethyl: a network-based methylome approach to investigate the multivariate nature of health and disease. Brief Bioinform 2022; 23:bbab554. [PMID: 35037016 PMCID: PMC8921619 DOI: 10.1093/bib/bbab554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 12/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Health outcomes are frequently shaped by difficult to dissect inter-relationships between biological, behavioral, social and environmental factors. DNA methylation patterns reflect such multivariate intersections, providing a rich source of novel biomarkers and insight into disease etiologies. Recent advances in whole-genome bisulfite sequencing enable investigation of DNA methylation over all genomic CpGs, but existing bioinformatic approaches lack accessible system-level tools. Here, we develop the R package Comethyl, for weighted gene correlation network analysis of user-defined genomic regions that generates modules of comethylated regions, which are then tested for correlations with multivariate sample traits. First, regions are defined by CpG genomic location or regulatory annotation and filtered based on CpG count, sequencing depth and variability. Next, correlation networks are used to find modules of interconnected nodes using methylation values within the selected regions. Each module containing multiple comethylated regions is reduced in complexity to a single eigennode value, which is then tested for correlations with experimental metadata. Comethyl has the ability to cover the noncoding regulatory regions of the genome with high relevance to interpretation of genome-wide association studies and integration with other types of epigenomic data. We demonstrate the utility of Comethyl on a dataset of male cord blood samples from newborns later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) versus typical development. Comethyl successfully identified an ASD-associated module containing regions mapped to genes enriched for brain glial functions. Comethyl is expected to be useful in uncovering the multivariate nature of health disparities for a variety of common disorders. Comethyl is available at github.com/cemordaunt/comethyl with complete documentation and example analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles E Mordaunt
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Genome Center, Perinatal Origins of Disparities Center, and MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Julia S Mouat
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Genome Center, Perinatal Origins of Disparities Center, and MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Rebecca J Schmidt
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Perinatal Origins of Disparities Center, and MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Janine M LaSalle
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Genome Center, Perinatal Origins of Disparities Center, and MIND Institute, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
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20
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Hüls A, Robins C, Conneely KN, Edgar R, De Jager PL, Bennett DA, Wingo AP, Epstein MP, Wingo TS. Brain DNA Methylation Patterns in CLDN5 Associated With Cognitive Decline. Biol Psychiatry 2022; 91:389-398. [PMID: 33838873 PMCID: PMC8329105 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2021.01.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 01/06/2021] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cognitive trajectory varies widely and can distinguish people who develop dementia from people who remain cognitively normal. Variation in cognitive trajectory is only partially explained by traditional neuropathologies. We sought to identify novel genes associated with cognitive trajectory using DNA methylation profiles from human postmortem brain. METHODS We performed a brain epigenome-wide association study of cognitive trajectory in 636 participants from the ROS (Religious Orders Study) and MAP (Rush Memory and Aging Project) using DNA methylation profiles of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. To maximize our power to detect epigenetic associations, we used the recently developed Gene Association with Multiple Traits test to analyze the 5 measured cognitive domains simultaneously. RESULTS We found an epigenome-wide association for differential methylation of sites in the CLDN5 locus and cognitive trajectory (p = 9.96 × 10-7) that was robust to adjustment for cell type proportions (p = 8.52 × 10-7). This association was primarily driven by association with declines in episodic (p = 4.65 × 10-6) and working (p = 2.54 × 10-7) memory. This association between methylation in CLDN5 and cognitive decline was significant even in participants with no or little signs of amyloid-β and neurofibrillary tangle pathology. CONCLUSIONS Differential methylation of CLDN5, a gene that encodes an important protein of the blood-brain barrier, is associated with cognitive trajectory beyond traditional Alzheimer's disease pathologies. The association between CLDN5 methylation and cognitive trajectory in people with low pathology suggests an early role for CLDN5 and blood-brain barrier dysfunction in cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anke Hüls
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; Department of Epidemiology, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; Gangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Chloe Robins
- Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Karen N Conneely
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia
| | - Rachel Edgar
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Philip L De Jager
- Center for Translational and Computational Neuroimmunology, Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York
| | - David A Bennett
- Rush Alzheimer's Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
| | - Aliza P Wingo
- Department of Psychiatry, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia; Division of Mental Health, Atlanta VA Medical Center, Decatur, Georgia
| | | | - Thomas S Wingo
- Department of Human Genetics, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia; Department of Neurology, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
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21
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Rees WD, Telkar N, Lin DTS, Wong MQ, Poloni C, Fathi A, Kobor M, Zachos NC, Steiner TS. An in vitro chronic damage model impairs inflammatory and regenerative responses in human colonoid monolayers. Cell Rep 2022; 38:110283. [PMID: 35045294 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.110283] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 12/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute damage to the intestinal epithelium can be repaired via de-differentiation of mature intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) to a stem-like state, but there is a lack of knowledge on how intestinal stem cells function after chronic injury, such as in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We developed a chronic-injury model in human colonoid monolayers by repeated rounds of air-liquid interface and submerged culture. We use this model to understand how chronic intestinal damage affects the ability of IECs to (1) respond to microbial stimulation, using the Toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) agonist FliC and (2) regenerate and protect the epithelium from further damage. Repeated rounds of damage impair the ability of IECs to regrow and respond to TLR stimulation. We also identify mRNA expression and DNA methylation changes in genes associated with IBD and colon cancer. This methodology results in a human model of recurrent IEC injury like that which occurs in IBD.
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Affiliation(s)
- William D Rees
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Rm. C328 HP East, VGH, Vancouver, BC V5Z 3J5, Canada; Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Nikita Telkar
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Rm. C328 HP East, VGH, Vancouver, BC V5Z 3J5, Canada; BC Cancer Agency, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - David T S Lin
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Rm. C328 HP East, VGH, Vancouver, BC V5Z 3J5, Canada
| | - May Q Wong
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Rm. C328 HP East, VGH, Vancouver, BC V5Z 3J5, Canada
| | - Chad Poloni
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Rm. C328 HP East, VGH, Vancouver, BC V5Z 3J5, Canada
| | - Ayda Fathi
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Rm. C328 HP East, VGH, Vancouver, BC V5Z 3J5, Canada
| | - Michael Kobor
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Rm. C328 HP East, VGH, Vancouver, BC V5Z 3J5, Canada
| | - Nicholas C Zachos
- Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Theodore S Steiner
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Rm. C328 HP East, VGH, Vancouver, BC V5Z 3J5, Canada.
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22
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Moore SR, Merrill SM, Sekhon B, MacIsaac JL, Kobor MS, Giesbrecht GF, Letourneau N. Infant DNA methylation: an early indicator of intergenerational trauma? Early Hum Dev 2022; 164:105519. [PMID: 34890904 DOI: 10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2021.105519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increases risk for mental and physical health problems. Intergenerationally, mothers' ACEs predict children's health problems including neurodevelopmental and behavioural problems and poorer physical health. Theories of intergenerational trauma suggest that ACEs experienced in one generation negatively affect the health and well-being of future generations, with DNA methylation (DNAm) being one of several potential biological explanations. To begin exploring this hypothesis, we tested whether infant DNA methylation associated with intergenerational trauma. Secondary analysis employed data from the Alberta Pregnancy Outcomes and Nutrition (APrON) study. Subsample data were collected from mothers during pregnancy and postpartum on measures of distress, stress and ACEs and from infants at 3 months of age on DNAm from blood (n = 92) and buccal epithelial cells (BECs; n = 124; primarily nonoverlapping individuals between tissues). Blood and BECs were examined in separate analyses. Preliminary associations identified in blood and BECs suggest that infant DNAm patterns may relate to maternal ACEs. For the majority of ACE-related DNAm sites, neither maternal perinatal distress, nor maternal cortisol awakening response (CAR; a measure of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis function), substantially reduced associations between maternal ACEs and infant DNAm. However, accounting for maternal perinatal distress and cortisol substantially changed the effect of ACEs in a greater proportion of blood DNAm sites than BEC DNAm sites in the top ACEs-associated correlated methylated regions (CMRs), as well as across all CMRs and all remaining CpGs (that did not fall into CMRs). Possible DNAm patterns in infants, thus, might capture a signature of maternal intergenerational trauma, and this effect appears to be more dependent on maternal perinatal distress and CAR in blood relative to BECs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah R Moore
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sarah M Merrill
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Bikram Sekhon
- Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Julia L MacIsaac
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michael S Kobor
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute and Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Gerald F Giesbrecht
- Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Department of Pediatrics & Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Nicole Letourneau
- Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Department of Pediatrics & Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Department of Psychiatry and Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
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23
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Planterose Jiménez B, Kayser M, Vidaki A. Revisiting genetic artifacts on DNA methylation microarrays exposes novel biological implications. Genome Biol 2021; 22:274. [PMID: 34548083 PMCID: PMC8454075 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-021-02484-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2021] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Illumina DNA methylation microarrays enable epigenome-wide analysis vastly used for the discovery of novel DNA methylation variation in health and disease. However, the microarrays' probe design cannot fully consider the vast human genetic diversity, leading to genetic artifacts. Distinguishing genuine from artifactual genetic influence is of particular relevance in the study of DNA methylation heritability and methylation quantitative trait loci. But despite its importance, current strategies to account for genetic artifacts are lagging due to a limited mechanistic understanding on how such artifacts operate. RESULTS To address this, we develop and benchmark UMtools, an R-package containing novel methods for the quantification and qualification of genetic artifacts based on fluorescence intensity signals. With our approach, we model and validate known SNPs/indels on a genetically controlled dataset of monozygotic twins, and we estimate minor allele frequency from DNA methylation data and empirically detect variants not included in dbSNP. Moreover, we identify examples where genetic artifacts interact with each other or with imprinting, X-inactivation, or tissue-specific regulation. Finally, we propose a novel strategy based on co-methylation that can discern between genetic artifacts and genuine genomic influence. CONCLUSIONS We provide an atlas to navigate through the huge diversity of genetic artifacts encountered on DNA methylation microarrays. Overall, our study sets the ground for a paradigm shift in the study of the genetic component of epigenetic variation in DNA methylation microarrays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Planterose Jiménez
- Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Department of Genetic Identification, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Manfred Kayser
- Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Department of Genetic Identification, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Athina Vidaki
- Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Department of Genetic Identification, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
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24
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Scherer M, Gasparoni G, Rahmouni S, Shashkova T, Arnoux M, Louis E, Nostaeva A, Avalos D, Dermitzakis ET, Aulchenko YS, Lengauer T, Lyons PA, Georges M, Walter J. Identification of tissue-specific and common methylation quantitative trait loci in healthy individuals using MAGAR. Epigenetics Chromatin 2021; 14:44. [PMID: 34530905 PMCID: PMC8444396 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-021-00415-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Understanding the influence of genetic variants on DNA methylation is fundamental for the interpretation of epigenomic data in the context of disease. There is a need for systematic approaches not only for determining methylation quantitative trait loci (methQTL), but also for discriminating general from cell type-specific effects. Results Here, we present a two-step computational framework MAGAR (https://bioconductor.org/packages/MAGAR), which fully supports the identification of methQTLs from matched genotyping and DNA methylation data, and additionally allows for illuminating cell type-specific methQTL effects. In a pilot analysis, we apply MAGAR on data in four tissues (ileum, rectum, T cells, B cells) from healthy individuals and demonstrate the discrimination of common from cell type-specific methQTLs. We experimentally validate both types of methQTLs in an independent data set comprising additional cell types and tissues. Finally, we validate selected methQTLs located in the PON1, ZNF155, and NRG2 genes by ultra-deep local sequencing. In line with previous reports, we find cell type-specific methQTLs to be preferentially located in enhancer elements. Conclusions Our analysis demonstrates that a systematic analysis of methQTLs provides important new insights on the influences of genetic variants to cell type-specific epigenomic variation. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13072-021-00415-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Scherer
- Department of Genetics/Epigenetics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany.,Computational Biology, Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarland Informatics Campus, Saarbrücken, Germany.,Graduate School of Computer Science, Saarland Informatics Campus, Saarbrücken, Germany.,Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics, Centre for Genomic Regulation, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gilles Gasparoni
- Department of Genetics/Epigenetics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Souad Rahmouni
- Unit of Animal Genomics, GIGA-Institute & Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Tatiana Shashkova
- Kurchatov Genomics Center of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Research and Training Center on Bioinformatics, A.A. Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems, Moscow, Russia
| | - Marion Arnoux
- Department of Genetics/Epigenetics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Edouard Louis
- Department of Gastroenterology, Liège University Hospital, CHU Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | | | - Diana Avalos
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Emmanouil T Dermitzakis
- Department of Genetic Medicine and Development, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.,Institute of Genetics and Genomics in Geneva, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Yurii S Aulchenko
- Kurchatov Genomics Center of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia.,Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (State University), Moscow, Russia.,PolyKnomics BV, 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands
| | - Thomas Lengauer
- Computational Biology, Max Planck Institute for Informatics, Saarland Informatics Campus, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Paul A Lyons
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK.,Cambridge Institute for Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Michel Georges
- Unit of Animal Genomics, GIGA-Institute & Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Jörn Walter
- Department of Genetics/Epigenetics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany.
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25
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Merrill SM, Moore SR, Gladish N, Giesbrecht GF, Dewey D, Konwar C, MacIssac JL, Kobor MS, Letourneau NL. Paternal adverse childhood experiences: Associations with infant DNA methylation. Dev Psychobiol 2021; 63:e22174. [PMID: 34333774 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), or cumulative childhood stress exposures, such as abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction, predict later health problems in both the exposed individuals and their offspring. One potential explanation suggests exposure to early adversity predicts epigenetic modification, especially DNA methylation (DNAm), linked to later health. Stress experienced preconception by mothers may associate with DNAm in the next generation. We hypothesized that fathers' exposure to ACEs also associates with their offspring DNAm, which, to our knowledge, has not been previously explored. An epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) of blood DNAm (n = 45) from 3-month-old infants was regressed onto fathers' retrospective ACEs at multiple Cytosine-phosphate-Guanosine (CpG) sites to discover associations. This accounted for infants' sex, age, ethnicity, cell type proportion, and genetic variability. Higher ACE scores associated with methylation values at eight CpGs. Post-hoc analysis found no contribution of paternal education, income, marital status, and parental postpartum depression, but did with paternal smoking and BMI along with infant sleep latency. These same CpGs also contributed to the association between paternal ACEs and offspring attention problems at 3 years. Collectively, these findings suggested there were biological associations with paternal early life adversity and offspring DNAm in infancy, potentially affecting offspring later childhood outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M Merrill
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Sarah R Moore
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Nicole Gladish
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Gerald F Giesbrecht
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Deborah Dewey
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Chaini Konwar
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Julia L MacIssac
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michael S Kobor
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute Vancouver, Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Program in Child and Brain Development, CIFAR, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Nicole L Letourneau
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Owerko Centre at the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Psychiatry, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Faculty of Nursing, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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26
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Lam AJ, Lin DTS, Gillies JK, Uday P, Pesenacker AM, Kobor MS, Levings MK. Optimized CRISPR-mediated gene knockin reveals FOXP3-independent maintenance of human Treg identity. Cell Rep 2021; 36:109494. [PMID: 34348163 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109494] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Regulatory T cell (Treg) therapy is a promising curative approach for a variety of immune-mediated conditions. CRISPR-based genome editing allows precise insertion of transgenes through homology-directed repair, but its use in human Tregs has been limited. We report an optimized protocol for CRISPR-mediated gene knockin in human Tregs with high-yield expansion. To establish a benchmark of human Treg dysfunction, we target the master transcription factor FOXP3 in naive and memory Tregs. Although FOXP3-ablated Tregs upregulate cytokine expression, effects on suppressive capacity in vitro manifest slowly and primarily in memory Tregs. Moreover, FOXP3-ablated Tregs retain their characteristic protein, transcriptional, and DNA methylation profile. Instead, FOXP3 maintains DNA methylation at regions enriched for AP-1 binding sites. Thus, although FOXP3 is important for human Treg development, it has a limited role in maintaining mature Treg identity. Optimized gene knockin with human Tregs will enable mechanistic studies and the development of tailored, next-generation Treg cell therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avery J Lam
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada; BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - David T S Lin
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada; Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1, Canada
| | - Jana K Gillies
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada; BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Prakruti Uday
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada; BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Anne M Pesenacker
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada; BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada
| | - Michael S Kobor
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada; Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1, Canada
| | - Megan K Levings
- Department of Surgery, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9, Canada; BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC V5Z 4H4, Canada; School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada.
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