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Andrade-Brito DE, Núñez-Ríos DL, Martínez-Magaña JJ, Nagamatsu ST, Rompala G, Zillich L, Witt SH, Clark SL, Lattig MC, Montalvo-Ortiz JL. Neuronal-specific methylome and hydroxymethylome analysis reveal significant loci associated with alcohol use disorder. Front Genet 2024; 15:1345410. [PMID: 38633406 PMCID: PMC11021708 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1345410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Background: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a complex condition associated with adverse health consequences that affect millions of individuals worldwide. Epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation (5 mC), have been associated with AUD and other alcohol-related traits. Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) have identified differentially methylated genes associated with AUD in human peripheral and brain tissue. More recently, epigenetic studies of AUD have also evaluated DNA hydroxymethylation (5 hmC) in the human brain. However, most of the epigenetic work in postmortem brain tissue has examined bulk tissue. In this study, we investigated neuronal-specific 5 mC and 5 hmC alterations at CpG sites associated with AUD in the human orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Methods: Neuronal nuclei from the OFC were evaluated in 34 human postmortem brain samples (10 AUD, 24 non-AUD). Reduced representation oxidative bisulfite sequencing was used to assess 5 mC and 5 hmC at the genome-wide level. Differential 5 mC and 5 hmC were evaluated using the methylKit R package and significance was set at false discovery rate < 0.05 and differential methylation > 2. Functional enrichment analyses were performed, and gene-level convergence was evaluated in an independent dataset that assessed 5 mC and 5 hmC of AUD in bulk cortical tissue. Results: We identified 417 5 mC and 363 5hmC significant differential CpG sites associated with AUD, with 59% in gene promoters. Some of the identified genes have been previously implicated in alcohol consumption, including SYK, DNMT3A for 5 mC, GAD1, DLX1, DLX2, for 5 hmC and GATA4 in both. Convergence with a previous AUD 5 mC and 5 hmC study was observed for 28 genes. We also identified 5 and 35 differential regions for 5 mC and 5 hmC, respectively. Lastly, GWAS enrichment analysis showed an association with AUD for differential 5 mC genes. Discussion: This study reveals neuronal-specific methylome and hydroxymethylome dysregulation associated with AUD, identifying both previously reported and potentially novel gene associations with AUD. Our findings provide new insights into the epigenomic dysregulation of AUD in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego E. Andrade-Brito
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- National Center of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, VA CT Healthcare, West Haven, CT, United States
| | - Diana L. Núñez-Ríos
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- National Center of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, VA CT Healthcare, West Haven, CT, United States
| | - José Jaime Martínez-Magaña
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- National Center of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, VA CT Healthcare, West Haven, CT, United States
| | - Sheila T. Nagamatsu
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- National Center of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, VA CT Healthcare, West Haven, CT, United States
| | - Gregory Rompala
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, United States
| | - Lea Zillich
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Stephanie H. Witt
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Shaunna L. Clark
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, United States
| | - Maria C. Lattig
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Janitza L. Montalvo-Ortiz
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, United States
- National Center of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, VA CT Healthcare, West Haven, CT, United States
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Chen AB, Yu X, Thapa KS, Gao H, Reiter JL, Xuei X, Tsai AP, Landreth GE, Lai D, Wang Y, Foroud TM, Tischfield JA, Edenberg HJ, Liu Y. Functional 3'-UTR Variants Identify Regulatory Mechanisms Impacting Alcohol Use Disorder and Related Traits. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.31.578270. [PMID: 38370821 PMCID: PMC10871301 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.31.578270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Although genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified loci associated with alcohol consumption and alcohol use disorder (AUD), they do not identify which variants are functional. To approach this, we evaluated the impact of variants in 3' untranslated regions (3'-UTRs) of genes in loci associated with substance use and neurological disorders using a massively parallel reporter assay (MPRA) in neuroblastoma and microglia cells. Functionally impactful variants explained a higher proportion of heritability of alcohol traits than non-functional variants. We identified genes whose 3'UTR activities are associated with AUD and alcohol consumption by combining variant effects from MPRA with GWAS results. We examined their effects by evaluating gene expression after CRISPR inhibition of neuronal cells and stratifying brain tissue samples by MPRA-derived 3'-UTR activity. A pathway analysis of differentially expressed genes identified inflammation response pathways. These analyses suggest that variation in response to inflammation contributes to the propensity to increase alcohol consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy B. Chen
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Xuhong Yu
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Kriti S. Thapa
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Hongyu Gao
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Center for Medical Genomics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Jill L Reiter
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Xiaoling Xuei
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Center for Medical Genomics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Andy P. Tsai
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Gary E. Landreth
- Stark Neurosciences Research Institute, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Dongbing Lai
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Yue Wang
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Tatiana M. Foroud
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | | | - Howard J. Edenberg
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
| | - Yunlong Liu
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Center for Computational Biology and Bioinformatics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Center for Medical Genomics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana
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Sheerin CM, O’Hara-Payne RK, Lancaster EE, Suarez-Rivas H, Chatzinakos C, Prom-Wormley EC, Peterson RE. Examining interactions between polygenic scores and interpersonal trauma exposure on alcohol consumption and use disorder in an ancestrally diverse college cohort. Front Genet 2024; 14:1274381. [PMID: 38361984 PMCID: PMC10868390 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1274381] [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: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Genetic factors impact alcohol consumption and use disorder (AUD), with large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identifying numerous associated variants. Aggregate genetic methods in combination with important environmental factors (e.g., interpersonal trauma [IPT]) can be applied to expand our understanding of the ways by which genetic and environmental variables work together to influence alcohol consumption and disordered use. The present study aimed to detail the relationships between genome-wide polygenic scores (PGS) for alcohol phenotypes (i.e., alcohol consumption and AUD status) and IPT exposure as well as the interaction between them across ancestry. Methods: Data were drawn from the Spit for Science (S4S) study, a US college student population, where participants reported on IPT exposure prior to college and alcohol consumption and problems during college (N = 9,006; ancestry: 21.3% African [AFR], 12.5% Admixed Americas [AMR], 9.6% East Asian [EAS], 48.1% European [EUR], 8.6% South Asian [SAS]). Two trans-ancestry PGS were constructed, one for alcohol consumption and another for AUD, using large-scale GWAS summary statistics from multiple ancestries weighted using PRS-CSx. Regression models were applied to test for the presence of associations between alcohol-PGS and IPT main and interaction effects. Results: In the meta-analysis across ancestry groups, IPT exposure and PGS were significantly associated with alcohol consumption (βIPT = 0.31, P IPT = 0.0002; βPGS = 0.09, P PGS = 0.004) and AUD (ORIPT = 1.12, P IPT = 3.5 × 10-8; ORPGS = 1.02, P PGS = 0.002). No statistically significant interactions were detected between IPT and sex nor between IPT and PGS. When inspecting ancestry specific results, the alcohol consumption-PGS and AUD-PGS were only statistically significant in the EUR ancestry group (βPGS = 0.09, P PGS = 0.04; ORPGS = 1.02, P PGS = 0.022, respectively). Discussion: IPT exposure prior to college was strongly associated with alcohol outcomes in this college-age sample, which could be used as a preventative measure to identify students at high risk for problematic alcohol use. Additionally, results add to developing evidence of polygenic score association in meta-analyzed samples, highlighting the importance of continued efforts to increase ancestral representation in genetic studies and inclusive analytic approaches to increase the generalizability of results from genetic association studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina M. Sheerin
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Rowan K. O’Hara-Payne
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
- Center for Biological Data Science, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Eva E. Lancaster
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Hailie Suarez-Rivas
- Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Chris Chatzinakos
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, United States
- Institute for Genomics in Health, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, United States
| | - Elizabeth C. Prom-Wormley
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
- Department of Epidemiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Roseann E. Peterson
- Virginia Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, United States
- Institute for Genomics in Health, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, NY, United States
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Andrade-Brito DE, Núñez-Ríos DL, Martínez-Magaña JJ, Nagamatsu ST, Rompala G, Zillich L, Witt SH, Clark SL, Latig MC, Montalvo-Ortiz JL. Neuronal-specific methylome and hydroxymethylome analysis reveal replicated and novel loci associated with alcohol use disorder. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.11.28.23299094. [PMID: 38105948 PMCID: PMC10725575 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.28.23299094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a complex condition associated with adverse health consequences that affect millions of individuals worldwide. Epigenetic modifications, including DNA methylation (5mC), have been associated with AUD and other alcohol-related traits. Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) have identified differentially methylated genes associated with AUD in human peripheral and brain tissue. More recently, epigenetic studies of AUD have also evaluated DNA hydroxymethylation (5hmC) in the human brain. However, most of the epigenetic work in postmortem brain tissue has examined bulk tissue. In this study, we investigated neuronal-specific 5mC and 5hmC alterations at CpG sites associated with AUD in the human orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Neuronal nuclei from the OFC were evaluated in 34 human postmortem brain samples (10 AUD, 24 non-AUD). Reduced representation oxidative bisulfite sequencing was used to assess 5mC and 5hmC at the genome-wide level. Differential 5mC and 5hmC were evaluated using the methylKit R package and significance was set at false discovery rate <0.05 and differential methylation >2. Functional enrichment analyses were performed and replication was evaluated replication in an independent dataset that assessed 5mC and 5hmC of AUD in bulk cortical tissue. We identified 417 5mC and 363 5hmC genome-wide significant differential CpG sites associated with AUD, with 59% in gene promoters. We also identified genes previously implicated in alcohol consumption, such as SYK, CHRM2, DNMT3A, and GATA4, for 5mC and GATA4, and GAD1, GATA4, DLX1 for 5hmC. Replication was observed for 28 CpG sites from a previous AUD 5mC and 5hmC study, including FOXP1. Lastly, GWAS enrichment analysis showed an association with AUD for differential 5mC genes. This study reveals neuronal-specific methylome and hydroxymethylome dysregulation associated with AUD. We replicated previous findings and identified novel associations with AUD for both 5mC and 5hmC marks within the OFC. Our findings provide new insights into the epigenomic dysregulation of AUD in the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego E. Andrade-Brito
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- National Center of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, VA CT Healthcare, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Diana L. Núñez-Ríos
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- National Center of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, VA CT Healthcare, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - José Jaime Martínez-Magaña
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- National Center of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, VA CT Healthcare, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Sheila T. Nagamatsu
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- National Center of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, VA CT Healthcare, West Haven, CT, USA
| | - Gregory Rompala
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York City, NY, USA
| | - Lea Zillich
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Stephanie H. Witt
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Shaunna L. Clark
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Maria C. Latig
- Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | | | - Janitza L. Montalvo-Ortiz
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
- National Center of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, VA CT Healthcare, West Haven, CT, USA
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Norden-Krichmar TM, Rotroff D, Schwantes-An TH, Bataller R, Goldman D, Nagy LE, Liangpunsakul S. Genomic approaches to explore susceptibility and pathogenesis of alcohol use disorder and alcohol-associated liver disease. Hepatology 2023:01515467-990000000-00586. [PMID: 37796138 PMCID: PMC10985049 DOI: 10.1097/hep.0000000000000617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/13/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
Excessive alcohol use is a major risk factor for the development of an alcohol use disorder (AUD) and contributes to a wide variety of other medical illnesses, including alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). Both AUD and ALD are complex and causally interrelated diseases, and multiple factors other than alcohol consumption are implicated in the disease pathogenesis. While the underlying pathophysiology of AUD and ALD is complex, there is substantial evidence for a genetic susceptibility of both diseases. Current genome-wide association studies indicate that the genes associated with clinical AUD only poorly overlap with the genes identified for heavy drinking and, in turn, neither overlap with the genes identified for ALD. Uncovering the main genetic factors will enable us to identify molecular drivers underlying the pathogenesis, discover potential targets for therapy, and implement patient care early in disease progression. In this review, we described multiple genomic approaches and their implications to investigate the susceptibility and pathogenesis of both AUD and ALD. We concluded our review with a discussion of the knowledge gaps and future research on genomic studies in these 2 diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniel Rotroff
- Department of Quantitative Health Sciences, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
| | - Tae-Hwi Schwantes-An
- Department of Medical & Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
| | - Ramon Bataller
- Liver Unit, Institut of Digestive and Metabolic Diseases, Hospital Clinic, Barcelona, Spain
- Institut d’Investigacions Biomediques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS)
| | - David Goldman
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Office of the Clinical Director, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, Rockville, MD
| | - Laura E. Nagy
- Center for Liver Disease Research, Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
- Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH
| | - Suthat Liangpunsakul
- Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Department of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN
- Roudebush Veterans Administration Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN
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