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Lee Y, Riskedal E, Kalleberg KT, Istre M, Lind A, Lund-Johansen F, Reiakvam O, Søraas AVL, Harris JR, Dahl JA, Hadley CL, Jugessur A. EWAS of post-COVID-19 patients shows methylation differences in the immune-response associated gene, IFI44L, three months after COVID-19 infection. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11478. [PMID: 35798818 PMCID: PMC9261254 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15467-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Although substantial progress has been made in managing COVID-19, it is still difficult to predict a patient’s prognosis. We explored the epigenetic signatures of COVID-19 in peripheral blood using data from an ongoing prospective observational study of COVID-19 called the Norwegian Corona Cohort Study. A series of EWASs were performed to compare the DNA methylation profiles between COVID-19 cases and controls three months post-infection. We also investigated differences associated with severity and long-COVID. Three CpGs—cg22399236, cg03607951, and cg09829636—were significantly hypomethylated (FDR < 0.05) in COVID-19 positive individuals. cg03607951 is located in IFI44L which is involved in innate response to viral infection and several systemic autoimmune diseases. cg09829636 is located in ANKRD9, a gene implicated in a wide variety of cellular processes, including the degradation of IMPDH2. The link between ANKRD9 and IMPDH2 is striking given that IMPDHs are considered therapeutic targets for COVID-19. Furthermore, gene ontology analyses revealed pathways involved in response to viruses. The lack of significant differences associated with severity and long-COVID may be real or reflect limitations in sample size. Our findings support the involvement of interferon responsive genes in the pathophysiology of COVID-19 and indicate a possible link to systemic autoimmune diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunsung Lee
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Skøyen, P.O. box 222, 0213, Oslo, Norway
| | | | | | - Mette Istre
- Department of Microbiology, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, 0372, Oslo, Norway
| | - Andreas Lind
- Department of Microbiology, Oslo University Hospital Ullevaal, 0372, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Olaug Reiakvam
- Department of Microbiology, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, 0372, Oslo, Norway
| | - Arne V L Søraas
- Department of Microbiology, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, 0372, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jennifer R Harris
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Skøyen, P.O. box 222, 0213, Oslo, Norway
| | - John Arne Dahl
- Department of Microbiology, Oslo University Hospital Rikshospitalet, 0372, Oslo, Norway
| | | | - Astanand Jugessur
- Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Skøyen, P.O. box 222, 0213, Oslo, Norway.,Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, P.O. box 7804, 5020, Bergen, Norway
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