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Mirza S, Lima CNC, Del Favero-Campbell A, Rubinstein A, Topolski N, Cabrera-Mendoza B, Kovács EHC, Blumberg HP, Richards JG, Williams AJ, Wemmie JA, Magnotta VA, Fiedorowicz JG, Gaine ME, Walss-Bass C, Quevedo J, Soares JC, Fries GR. Blood epigenome-wide association studies of suicide attempt in adults with bipolar disorder. Transl Psychiatry 2024; 14:70. [PMID: 38296944 PMCID: PMC10831084 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-024-02760-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/10/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Suicide attempt (SA) risk is elevated in individuals with bipolar disorder (BD), and DNA methylation patterns may serve as possible biomarkers of SA. We conducted epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) of blood DNA methylation associated with BD and SA. DNA methylation was measured at >700,000 positions in a discovery cohort of n = 84 adults with BD with a history of SA (BD/SA), n = 79 adults with BD without history of SA (BD/non-SA), and n = 76 non-psychiatric controls (CON). EWAS revealed six differentially methylated positions (DMPs) and seven differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between BD/SA and BD/non-SA, with multiple immune-related genes implicated. There were no epigenome-wide significant differences when BD/SA and BD/non-SA were each compared to CON, and patterns suggested that epigenetics differentiating BD/SA from BD/non-SA do not differentiate BD/non-SA from CON. Weighted gene co-methylation network analysis and trait enrichment analysis of the BD/SA vs. BD/non-SA contrast further corroborated immune system involvement, while gene ontology analysis implicated calcium signalling. In an independent replication cohort of n = 48 BD/SA and n = 47 BD/non-SA, fold changes at the discovery cohort's significant sites showed moderate correlation across cohorts and agreement on direction. In both cohorts, classification accuracy for SA history among individuals with BD was highest when methylation at the significant CpG sites as well as information from clinical interviews were combined, with an AUC of 88.8% (CI = 83.8-93.8%) and 82.1% (CI = 73.6-90.5%) for the combined epigenetic-clinical classifier in the discovery and replication cohorts, respectively. Our results provide novel insight to the role of immune system functioning in SA and BD and also suggest that integrating information from multiple levels of analysis holds promise to improve risk assessment for SA in adults with BD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salahudeen Mirza
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, (UTHealth), 77054, Houston, TX, USA
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, 55455, Minneapolis, MN, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 06510, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Camila N C Lima
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, (UTHealth), 77054, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Alexandra Del Favero-Campbell
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, (UTHealth), 77054, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Alexandre Rubinstein
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, (UTHealth), 77054, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Natasha Topolski
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, (UTHealth), 77054, Houston, TX, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 77054, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Emese H C Kovács
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, The University of Iowa, 51 Newton Rd, 52242, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Hilary P Blumberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 06510, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jenny Gringer Richards
- Department of Radiology, The University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Dr, 52242, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Aislinn J Williams
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Dr, 52242, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, 169 Newton Rd, 52242, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - John A Wemmie
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Dr, 52242, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, 169 Newton Rd, 52242, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Vincent A Magnotta
- Department of Radiology, The University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Dr, 52242, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Dr, 52242, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Jess G Fiedorowicz
- University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 501 Smyth, K1H 8L6, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Marie E Gaine
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa, 169 Newton Rd, 52242, Iowa City, IA, USA
- Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Iowa, 180 South Grand Ave, 52242, Iowa City, IA, USA
| | - Consuelo Walss-Bass
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, (UTHealth), 77054, Houston, TX, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 77054, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Joao Quevedo
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, (UTHealth), 77054, Houston, TX, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 77054, Houston, TX, USA
- Center of Excellence in Mood Disorders, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 1941 East Rd, 77054, Houston, TX, USA
- Center for Interventional Psychiatry, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, 1941 East Rd, 77054, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jair C Soares
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, (UTHealth), 77054, Houston, TX, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 77054, Houston, TX, USA
- Center of Excellence in Mood Disorders, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 1941 East Rd, 77054, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Gabriel R Fries
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, (UTHealth), 77054, Houston, TX, USA.
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 77054, Houston, TX, USA.
- Center of Excellence in Mood Disorders, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 1941 East Rd, 77054, Houston, TX, USA.
- Center for Interventional Psychiatry, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), Houston, 1941 East Rd, 77054, Houston, TX, USA.
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Mirza S, de Carvalho Lima CN, Del Favero-Campbell A, Rubinstein A, Topolski N, Cabrera-Mendoza B, Kovács EH, Blumberg HP, Richards JG, Williams AJ, Wemmie JA, Magnotta VA, Fiedorowicz JG, Gaine ME, Walss-Bass C, Quevedo J, Soares JC, Fries GR. Blood epigenome-wide association studies of suicide attempt in adults with bipolar disorder. MEDRXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR HEALTH SCIENCES 2023:2023.07.20.23292968. [PMID: 37546994 PMCID: PMC10402220 DOI: 10.1101/2023.07.20.23292968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Suicide attempt (SA) risk is elevated in individuals with bipolar disorder (BD), and DNA methylation patterns may serve as possible biomarkers of SA. We conducted epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) of blood DNA methylation associated with BD and SA. DNA methylation was measured at > 700,000 positions in a discovery cohort of n = 84 adults with BD with a history of SA (BD/SA), n = 79 adults with BD without history of SA (BD/non-SA), and n = 76 non-psychiatric controls (CON). EWAS revealed six differentially methylated positions (DMPs) and seven differentially methylated regions (DMRs) between BD/SA and BD/non-SA, with multiple immune-related genes implicated. There were no epigenome-wide significant differences when BD/SA and BD/non-SA were each compared to CON, and patterns suggested that epigenetics differentiating BD/SA from BD/non-SA do not differentiate BD/non-SA from CON. Weighted gene co-methylation network analysis and trait enrichment analysis of the BD/SA vs. BD/non-SA contrast further corroborated immune system involvement, while gene ontology analysis implicated calcium signalling. In an independent replication cohort of n = 48 BD/SA and n = 47 BD/non-SA, fold-changes at the discovery cohort's significant sites showed moderate correlation across cohorts and agreement on direction. In both cohorts, classification accuracy for SA history among individuals with BD was highest when methylation at the significant CpG sites as well as information from clinical interviews were combined, with an AUC of 88.8% (CI = 83.8-93.8%) and 82.1% (CI = 73.6-90.5%) for the combined epigenetic-clinical predictor in the discovery and replication cohorts, respectively. Our results provide novel insight to the role of immune system functioning in SA and BD and also suggest that integrating information from multiple levels of analysis holds promise to improve risk assessment for SA in adults with BD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salahudeen Mirza
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, (UTHealth), 77054 Houston, Texas, USA
- Institute of Child Development, University of Minnesota, 55455 Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
| | - Camila N. de Carvalho Lima
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, (UTHealth), 77054 Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Alexandra Del Favero-Campbell
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, (UTHealth), 77054 Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Alexandre Rubinstein
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, (UTHealth), 77054 Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Natasha Topolski
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, (UTHealth), 77054 Houston, Texas, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 77054 Houston, Texas, USA
| | | | - Emese H.C. Kovács
- Department of Neuroscience and Pharmacology, The University of Iowa, 51 Newton Rd, 52242 Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Hilary P. Blumberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine, 06510 New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jenny Gringer Richards
- Department of Radiology, The University of Iowa. 200 Hawkins Dr, 52242 Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Aislinn J. Williams
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Iowa. 200 Hawkins Dr, 52242 Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa. 169 Newton Rd, 52242 Iowa City, Iowa USA
| | - John A. Wemmie
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Iowa. 200 Hawkins Dr, 52242 Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa. 169 Newton Rd, 52242 Iowa City, Iowa USA
- Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Vincent A. Magnotta
- Department of Radiology, The University of Iowa. 200 Hawkins Dr, 52242 Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, The University of Iowa. 200 Hawkins Dr, 52242 Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Jess G. Fiedorowicz
- University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. 501 Smyth, K1H 8L6, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Marie E. Gaine
- Iowa Neuroscience Institute, The University of Iowa. 169 Newton Rd, 52242 Iowa City, Iowa USA
- Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Iowa, 180 South Grand Ave, 52242, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Consuelo Walss-Bass
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, (UTHealth), 77054 Houston, Texas, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 77054 Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Joao Quevedo
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, (UTHealth), 77054 Houston, Texas, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 77054 Houston, Texas, USA
- Center of Excellence in Mood Disorders, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 1941 East Rd, 77054, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Jair C. Soares
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, (UTHealth), 77054 Houston, Texas, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 77054 Houston, Texas, USA
- Center of Excellence in Mood Disorders, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 1941 East Rd, 77054, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Gabriel R. Fries
- Translational Psychiatry Program, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, McGovern Medical School, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, (UTHealth), 77054 Houston, Texas, USA
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 77054 Houston, Texas, USA
- Center of Excellence in Mood Disorders, Faillace Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, 1941 East Rd, 77054, Houston, Texas, USA
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Botwright NA, Mohamed AR, Slinger J, Lima PC, Wynne JW. Host-Parasite Interaction of Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar) and the Ectoparasite Neoparamoeba perurans in Amoebic Gill Disease. Front Immunol 2021; 12:672700. [PMID: 34135900 PMCID: PMC8202022 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.672700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Marine farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are susceptible to recurrent amoebic gill disease (AGD) caused by the ectoparasite Neoparamoeba perurans over the growout production cycle. The parasite elicits a highly localized response within the gill epithelium resulting in multifocal mucoid patches at the site of parasite attachment. This host-parasite response drives a complex immune reaction, which remains poorly understood. To generate a model for host-parasite interaction during pathogenesis of AGD in Atlantic salmon the local (gill) and systemic transcriptomic response in the host, and the parasite during AGD pathogenesis was explored. A dual RNA-seq approach together with differential gene expression and system-wide statistical analyses of gene and transcription factor networks was employed. A multi-tissue transcriptomic data set was generated from the gill (including both lesioned and non-lesioned tissue), head kidney and spleen tissues naïve and AGD-affected Atlantic salmon sourced from an in vivo AGD challenge trial. Differential gene expression of the salmon host indicates local and systemic upregulation of defense and immune responses. Two transcription factors, znfOZF-like and znf70-like, and their associated gene networks significantly altered with disease state. The majority of genes in these networks are candidates for mediators of the immune response, cellular proliferation and invasion. These include Aurora kinase B-like, rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor 25-like and protein NDNF-like inhibited. Analysis of the N. perurans transcriptome during AGD pathology compared to in vitro cultured N. perurans trophozoites, as a proxy for wild type trophozoites, identified multiple gene candidates for virulence and indicates a potential master regulatory gene system analogous to the two-component PhoP/Q system. Candidate genes identified are associated with invasion of host tissue, evasion of host defense mechanisms and formation of the mucoid lesion. We generated a novel model for host-parasite interaction during AGD pathogenesis through integration of host and parasite functional profiles. Collectively, this dual transcriptomic study provides novel molecular insights into the pathology of AGD and provides alternative theories for future research in a step towards improved management of AGD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha A Botwright
- Livestock and Aquaculture, CSIRO Agriculture and Food, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Amin R Mohamed
- Livestock and Aquaculture, CSIRO Agriculture and Food, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - Joel Slinger
- Livestock and Aquaculture, CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Woorim, QLD, Australia
| | - Paula C Lima
- Livestock and Aquaculture, CSIRO Agriculture and Food, St Lucia, QLD, Australia
| | - James W Wynne
- Livestock and Aquaculture, CSIRO Agriculture and Food, Hobart, TAS, Australia
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Capelle CM, Zeng N, Danileviciute E, Rodrigues SF, Ollert M, Balling R, He FQ. Identification of VIMP as a gene inhibiting cytokine production in human CD4+ effector T cells. iScience 2021; 24:102289. [PMID: 33851102 PMCID: PMC8024663 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Many players regulating the CD4+ T cell-mediated inflammatory response have already been identified. However, the critical nodes that constitute the regulatory and signaling networks underlying CD4 T cell responses are still missing. Using a correlation-network-guided approach, here we identified VIMP (VCP-interacting membrane protein), one of the 25 genes encoding selenoproteins in humans, as a gene regulating the effector functions of human CD4 T cells, especially production of several cytokines including IL2 and CSF2. We identified VIMP as an endogenous inhibitor of cytokine production in CD4 effector T cells via both the E2F5 transcription regulatory pathway and the Ca2+/NFATC2 signaling pathway. Our work not only indicates that VIMP might be a promising therapeutic target for various inflammation-associated diseases but also shows that our network-guided approach can significantly aid in predicting new functions of the genes of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe M. Capelle
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), 29, rue Henri Koch, 4354 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
- Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine, University of Luxembourg, 2, avenue de Université, 4365 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Ni Zeng
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), 29, rue Henri Koch, 4354 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Egle Danileviciute
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), 29, rue Henri Koch, 4354 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 6, avenue du Swing, 4367 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Sabrina Freitas Rodrigues
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 6, avenue du Swing, 4367 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Markus Ollert
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), 29, rue Henri Koch, 4354 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
- Department of Dermatology and Allergy Center, Odense Research Center for Anaphylaxis (ORCA), University of Southern Denmark, Odense, 5000 C, Denmark
| | - Rudi Balling
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 6, avenue du Swing, 4367 Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Feng Q. He
- Department of Infection and Immunity, Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), 29, rue Henri Koch, 4354 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
- Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, 6, avenue du Swing, 4367 Belvaux, Luxembourg
- Institute of Medical Microbiology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45122 Essen, Germany
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Drag M, Hansen MB, Kadarmideen HN. Systems genomics study reveals expression quantitative trait loci, regulator genes and pathways associated with boar taint in pigs. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0192673. [PMID: 29438444 PMCID: PMC5811030 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0192673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2017] [Accepted: 01/29/2018] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Boar taint is an offensive odour and/or taste from a proportion of non-castrated male pigs caused by skatole and androstenone accumulation during sexual maturity. Castration is widely used to avoid boar taint but is currently under debate because of animal welfare concerns. This study aimed to identify expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) with potential effects on boar taint compounds to improve breeding possibilities for reduced boar taint. Danish Landrace male boars with low, medium and high genetic merit for skatole and human nose score (HNS) were slaughtered at ~100 kg. Gene expression profiles were obtained by RNA-Seq, and genotype data were obtained by an Illumina 60K Porcine SNP chip. Following quality control and filtering, 10,545 and 12,731 genes from liver and testis were included in the eQTL analysis, together with 20,827 SNP variants. A total of 205 and 109 single-tissue eQTLs associated with 102 and 58 unique genes were identified in liver and testis, respectively. By employing a multivariate Bayesian hierarchical model, 26 eQTLs were identified as significant multi-tissue eQTLs. The highest densities of eQTLs were found on pig chromosomes SSC12, SSC1, SSC13, SSC9 and SSC14. Functional characterisation of eQTLs revealed functions within regulation of androgen and the intracellular steroid hormone receptor signalling pathway and of xenobiotic metabolism by cytochrome P450 system and cellular response to oestradiol. A QTL enrichment test revealed 89 QTL traits curated by the Animal Genome PigQTL database to be significantly overlapped by the genomic coordinates of cis-acting eQTLs. Finally, a subset of 35 cis-acting eQTLs overlapped with known boar taint QTL traits. These eQTLs could be useful in the development of a DNA test for boar taint but careful monitoring of other overlapping QTL traits should be performed to avoid any negative consequences of selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Drag
- Section of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Mathias B. Hansen
- Section of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
| | - Haja N. Kadarmideen
- Section of Anatomy, Biochemistry and Physiology, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg C, Denmark
- Section of Systems Genomics, Department of Bio and Health Informatics, Technical University of Denmark, Kemitorvet, Lyngby, Denmark
- * E-mail:
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