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Cavalli LR, Ellsworth RE, Aneja R. Editorial: Epigenomic drivers of cancer disparities. Front Oncol 2024; 14:1387049. [PMID: 38638857 PMCID: PMC11024631 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1387049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Luciane R. Cavalli
- Research Institute Pelé Pequeno Príncipe, Faculdades Pequeno Príncipe, Curitiba, PR, Brazil
- Department of Oncology, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Rachel E. Ellsworth
- Department of Department of Nutrition Sciences, School of Health Professions, University of Birmingham at Alabama, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Ritu Aneja
- Murtha Cancer Center/ Research Program, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and Walter Reed National, Birmingham, AL, United States
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Parodi L, Mayerhofer E, Narasimhalu K, Yechoor N, Comeau ME, Rosand J, Langefeld CD, Anderson CD. Social Determinants of Health and Cerebral Small Vessel Disease: Is Epigenetics a Key Mediator? J Am Heart Assoc 2023:e029862. [PMID: 37345795 DOI: 10.1161/jaha.123.029862] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Cerebral small vessel disease is highly prevalent, particularly in marginalized communities, and its incidence is expected to increase given the aging global population. Cerebral small vessel disease contributes to risk for stroke, vascular cognitive impairment and dementia, late-life depression, and gait disorders. A growing body of evidence suggests that adverse outcomes, including cerebral small vessel disease, caused by traditional cardiovascular risk factors are at least partly mediated by epigenetic changes, some of them already beginning during fetal development. Societal and health care access inequities, summarized under the umbrella term social determinants of health, put a higher burden of cardiovascular risk factors on marginalized populations and expose them to an increased risk for adverse outcomes. Social epigenetics has begun to deliver solid evidence that social determinants of health lead to distinct epigenetic signatures that potentially mediate the biological effect of environmental exposures on cardiovascular risk factors. Here, we provide a review of the most recent advances in the epigenetics of cerebral small vessel disease risk factors and social determinants of health and call for research efforts combining insights from both fields to reach a deeper understanding of the causal pathways, ultimately facilitating discovery of new treatment targets for a disease whose burden is magnified by existing health disparities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livia Parodi
- Center for Genomic Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA USA
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT Cambridge MA USA
- Henry and Allison McCance Center for Brain Health Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA USA
- Department of Neurology Brigham and Women's Hospital Boston MA USA
| | - Ernst Mayerhofer
- Center for Genomic Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA USA
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT Cambridge MA USA
- Henry and Allison McCance Center for Brain Health Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA USA
| | - Kaavya Narasimhalu
- Center for Genomic Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA USA
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT Cambridge MA USA
- Henry and Allison McCance Center for Brain Health Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA USA
| | - Nirupama Yechoor
- Center for Genomic Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA USA
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT Cambridge MA USA
- Henry and Allison McCance Center for Brain Health Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA USA
| | - Mary E Comeau
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Division of Public Health Sciences Wake Forest University School of Medicine Winston-Salem NC USA
- Center for Precision Medicine Wake Forest University School of Medicine Winston-Salem NC USA
| | - Jonathan Rosand
- Center for Genomic Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA USA
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT Cambridge MA USA
- Henry and Allison McCance Center for Brain Health Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA USA
| | - Carl D Langefeld
- Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, Division of Public Health Sciences Wake Forest University School of Medicine Winston-Salem NC USA
- Center for Precision Medicine Wake Forest University School of Medicine Winston-Salem NC USA
| | - Christopher D Anderson
- Center for Genomic Medicine Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA USA
- The Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT Cambridge MA USA
- Henry and Allison McCance Center for Brain Health Massachusetts General Hospital Boston MA USA
- Department of Neurology Brigham and Women's Hospital Boston MA USA
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Clausing ES, Tomlinson CJ, Non AL. Epigenetics and social inequalities in asthma and allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2023:S0091-6749(23)00213-0. [PMID: 36804452 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2023.01.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2022] [Revised: 01/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth S Clausing
- School of Global Integrative Studies, Department of Anthropology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Neb; Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Neb; Rural Drug Addiction Research Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Neb
| | - Cassidy J Tomlinson
- Department of Anthropology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, Calif
| | - Amy L Non
- Department of Anthropology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, Calif.
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Rajaprakash M, Dean LT, Palmore M, Johnson SB, Kaufman J, Fallin DM, Ladd-Acosta C. DNA methylation signatures as biomarkers of socioeconomic position. Environ Epigenet 2022; 9:dvac027. [PMID: 36694711 PMCID: PMC9869656 DOI: 10.1093/eep/dvac027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This review article provides a framework for the use of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation (DNAm) biomarkers to study the biological embedding of socioeconomic position (SEP) and summarizes the latest developments in the area. It presents the emerging literature showing associations between individual- and neighborhood-level SEP exposures and DNAm across the life course. In contrast to questionnaire-based methods of assessing SEP, we suggest that DNAm biomarkers may offer an accessible metric to study questions about SEP and health outcomes, acting as a personal dosimeter of exposure. However, further work remains in standardizing SEP measures across studies and evaluating consistency across domains, tissue types, and time periods. Meta-analyses of epigenetic associations with SEP are offered as one approach to confirm the replication of DNAm loci across studies. The development of DNAm biomarkers of SEP would provide a method for examining its impact on health outcomes in a more robust way, increasing the rigor of epidemiological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghna Rajaprakash
- Department of Neurology and Developmental Medicine, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
| | - Lorraine T Dean
- Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Meredith Palmore
- Department of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Sara B Johnson
- Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
| | - Joan Kaufman
- Department of Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Daniele M Fallin
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
| | - Christine Ladd-Acosta
- Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
- Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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Wang YZ, Zhao W, Ammous F, Song Y, Du J, Shang L, Ratliff SM, Moore K, Kelly KM, Needham BL, Diez Roux AV, Liu Y, Butler KR, Kardia SLR, Mukherjee B, Zhou X, Smith JA. DNA Methylation Mediates the Association Between Individual and Neighborhood Social Disadvantage and Cardiovascular Risk Factors. Front Cardiovasc Med 2022; 9:848768. [PMID: 35665255 PMCID: PMC9162507 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.848768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Low socioeconomic status (SES) and living in a disadvantaged neighborhood are associated with poor cardiovascular health. Multiple lines of evidence have linked DNA methylation to both cardiovascular risk factors and social disadvantage indicators. However, limited research has investigated the role of DNA methylation in mediating the associations of individual- and neighborhood-level disadvantage with multiple cardiovascular risk factors in large, multi-ethnic, population-based cohorts. We examined whether disadvantage at the individual level (childhood and adult SES) and neighborhood level (summary neighborhood SES as assessed by Census data and social environment as assessed by perceptions of aesthetic quality, safety, and social cohesion) were associated with 11 cardiovascular risk factors including measures of obesity, diabetes, lipids, and hypertension in 1,154 participants from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA). For significant associations, we conducted epigenome-wide mediation analysis to identify methylation sites mediating the relationship between individual/neighborhood disadvantage and cardiovascular risk factors using the JT-Comp method that assesses sparse mediation effects under a composite null hypothesis. In models adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, smoking, medication use, and genetic principal components of ancestry, epigenetic mediation was detected for the associations of adult SES with body mass index (BMI), insulin, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), as well as for the association between neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and HDL-C at FDR q < 0.05. The 410 CpG mediators identified for the SES-BMI association were enriched for CpGs associated with gene expression (expression quantitative trait methylation loci, or eQTMs), and corresponding genes were enriched in antigen processing and presentation pathways. For cardiovascular risk factors other than BMI, most of the epigenetic mediators lost significance after controlling for BMI. However, 43 methylation sites showed evidence of mediating the neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage and HDL-C association after BMI adjustment. The identified mediators were enriched for eQTMs, and corresponding genes were enriched in inflammatory and apoptotic pathways. Our findings support the hypothesis that DNA methylation acts as a mediator between individual- and neighborhood-level disadvantage and cardiovascular risk factors, and shed light on the potential underlying epigenetic pathways. Future studies are needed to fully elucidate the biological mechanisms that link social disadvantage to poor cardiovascular health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zhe Wang
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Wei Zhao
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Farah Ammous
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Yanyi Song
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Jiacong Du
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Lulu Shang
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Scott M. Ratliff
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Kari Moore
- Urban Health Collaborative, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Kristen M. Kelly
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Belinda L. Needham
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Ana V. Diez Roux
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Yongmei Liu
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, United States
| | - Kenneth R. Butler
- Department of Medicine, Division of Geriatrics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, United States
| | - Sharon L. R. Kardia
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Bhramar Mukherjee
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Xiang Zhou
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Jennifer A. Smith
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
- Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
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Abstract
Aim: Social scientists have placed particularly high expectations on the study of epigenomics to explain how exposure to adverse social factors like poverty, child maltreatment and racism - particularly early in childhood - might contribute to complex diseases. However, progress has stalled, reflecting many of the same challenges faced in genomics, including overhype, lack of diversity in samples, limited replication and difficulty interpreting significance of findings. Materials & methods: This review focuses on the future of social epigenomics by discussing progress made, ongoing methodological and analytical challenges and suggestions for improvement. Results & conclusion: Recommendations include more diverse sample types, cross-cultural, longitudinal and multi-generational studies. True integration of social and epigenomic data will require increased access to both data types in publicly available databases, enhanced data integration frameworks, and more collaborative efforts between social scientists and geneticists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy L Non
- Department of Anthropology at the University of California, San Diego, 92093 CA, USA
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