scholarly journals High-resolution epigenome analysis in nasal samples derived from children with respiratory viral infections reveals striking changes upon SARS-CoV-2 infection

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konner Winkley ◽  
Boryana Koseva ◽  
Dithi Banerjee ◽  
Warren Cheung ◽  
Rangaraj Selvarangan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Regulatory Elements ◽  
Influenza B ◽  
Monocyte Count ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Genome Bisulfite Sequencing ◽  
Respiratory Viral Infections ◽  
Activation Pathways

AbstractBackgroundDNA methylation patterns of the human genome can be modified by environmental stimuli and provide dense information on gene regulatory circuitries. We studied genome-wide DNA methylation in nasal samples from infants (<6 months) applying whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) to characterize epigenome response to 10 different respiratory viral infections including SARS-CoV-2.ResultsWe identified virus-specific differentially methylated regions (vDMR) with human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and SARS-CoV-2 followed by Influenza B (Flu B) causing the weakest vs. strongest epigenome response with 496 vs. 78541 and 14361 vDMR, respectively. We found a strong replication rate of FluB (52%) and SARS-CoV-2 (42%) vDMR in independent samples indicating robust epigenome perturbation upon infection. Among the FluB and SARS-CoV-2 vDMRs, around 70% were hypomethylated and significantly enriched among epithelial cell-specific regulatory elements whereas the hypermethylated vDMRs for these viruses mapped more frequently to immune cell regulatory elements, especially those of the myeloid lineage. The hypermethylated vDMRs were also enriched among genes and genetic loci in monocyte activation pathways and monocyte count. Finally, we perform single-cell RNA-sequencing characterization of nasal mucosa in response to these two viruses to functionally analyze the epigenome perturbations. Which supports the trends we identified in methylation data and highlights and important role for monocytes.ConclusionsAll together, we find evidence indicating genetic predisposition to innate immune response upon a respiratory viral infection. Our genome-wide monitoring of infant viral response provides first catalogue of associated host regulatory elements. Assessing epigenetic variation in individual patients may reveal evidence for viral triggers of childhood disease.

scholarly journals Influenza and other respiratory viral infections associated with absence from school among schoolchildren in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA: a cohort study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan M. Read ◽  
Shanta Zimmer ◽  
Charles Vukotich ◽  
Mary Lou Schweizer ◽  
David Galloway ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cohort Study ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Influenza Infection ◽  
Respiratory Viruses ◽  
Influenza B ◽  
Mixed Effect ◽  
School Aged Children ◽  
Respiratory Viral Infections ◽  
Day Programs ◽  
K 12

Abstract Background Information on the etiology and age-specific burden of respiratory viral infections among school-aged children remains limited. Though school aged children are often recognized as driving the transmission of influenza as well as other respiratory viruses, little detailed information is available on the distribution of respiratory infections among children of different ages within this group. Factors other than age including gender and time spent in school may also be important in determining risk of infection but have been little studied in this age group. Methods We conducted a cohort study to determine the etiology of influenza like illness (ILI) among 2519 K–12 students during the 2012–13 influenza season. We obtained nasal swabs from students with ILI-related absences. Generalized linear mixed-effect regressions determined associations of outcomes, including ILI and laboratory-confirmed respiratory virus infection, with school grade and other covariates. Results Overall, 459 swabs were obtained from 552 ILI–related absences. Respiratory viruses were found in 292 (63.6%) samples. Influenza was found in 189 (41.2%) samples. With influenza B found in 134 (70.9%). Rates of influenza B were significantly higher in grades 1 (10.1, 95% CI 6.8–14.4%), 2 (9.7, 6.6–13.6%), 3 (9.3, 6.3–13.2%), and 4 (9.9, 6.8–13.8%) than in kindergarteners (3.2, 1.5–6.0%). After accounting for grade, sex and self-reported vaccination status, influenza B infection risk was lower among kindergarteners in half-day programs compared to kindergarteners in full-day programs (OR = 0.19; 95% CI 0.08–0.45). Conclusions ILI and influenza infection is concentrated in younger schoolchildren. Reduced infection by respiratory viruses is associated with a truncated school day for kindergarteners but this finding requires further investigation in other grades and populations.

scholarly journals Neutrophils in respiratory viral infections

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cecilia Johansson ◽  
Freja C. M. Kirsebom
Keyword(s):  
Viral Infections ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Respiratory Infections ◽  
Fungal Infections ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Viral Control ◽  
Immunological Mechanisms ◽  
Respiratory Viral Infections ◽  
Viral Respiratory Infections

AbstractViral respiratory infections are a common cause of severe disease, especially in infants, people who are immunocompromised, and in the elderly. Neutrophils, an important innate immune cell, infiltrate the lungs rapidly after an inflammatory insult. The most well-characterized effector mechanisms by which neutrophils contribute to host defense are largely extracellular and the involvement of neutrophils in protection from numerous bacterial and fungal infections is well established. However, the role of neutrophils in responses to viruses, which replicate intracellularly, has been less studied. It remains unclear whether and, by which underlying immunological mechanisms, neutrophils contribute to viral control or confer protection against an intracellular pathogen. Furthermore, neutrophils need to be tightly regulated to avoid bystander damage to host tissues. This is especially relevant in the lung where damage to delicate alveolar structures can compromise gas exchange with life-threatening consequences. It is inherently less clear how neutrophils can contribute to host immunity to viruses without causing immunopathology and/or exacerbating disease severity. In this review, we summarize and discuss the current understanding of how neutrophils in the lung direct immune responses to viruses, control viral replication and spread, and cause pathology during respiratory viral infections.

scholarly journals Low-pass whole genome bisulfite sequencing of neonatal dried blood spots identifies a role for RUNX1 in Down syndrome DNA methylation profiles

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin I Laufer ◽  
Hyeyeon Hwang ◽  
Julia M Jianu ◽  
Charles E Mordaunt ◽  
Ian F Korf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Down Syndrome ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Trisomy 21 ◽  
Bisulfite Sequencing ◽  
Dried Blood Spots ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Low Pass ◽  
Genome Bisulfite Sequencing

Abstract Neonatal dried blood spots (NDBS) are a widely banked sample source that enables retrospective investigation into early life molecular events. Here, we performed low-pass whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) of 86 NDBS DNA to examine early life Down syndrome (DS) DNA methylation profiles. DS represents an example of genetics shaping epigenetics, as multiple array-based studies have demonstrated that trisomy 21 is characterized by genome-wide alterations to DNA methylation. By assaying over 24 million CpG sites, thousands of genome-wide significant (q &lt; 0.05) differentially methylated regions (DMRs) that distinguished DS from typical development and idiopathic developmental delay were identified. Machine learning feature selection refined these DMRs to 22 loci. The DS DMRs mapped to genes involved in neurodevelopment, metabolism, and transcriptional regulation. Based on comparisons with previous DS methylation studies and reference epigenomes, the hypermethylated DS DMRs were significantly (q &lt; 0.05) enriched across tissues while the hypomethylated DS DMRs were significantly (q &lt; 0.05) enriched for blood-specific chromatin states. A ~28 kb block of hypermethylation was observed on chromosome 21 in the RUNX1 locus, which encodes a hematopoietic transcription factor whose binding motif was the most significantly enriched (q &lt; 0.05) overall and specifically within the hypomethylated DMRs. Finally, we also identified DMRs that distinguished DS NDBS based on the presence or absence of congenital heart disease (CHD). Together, these results not only demonstrate the utility of low-pass WGBS on NDBS samples for epigenome-wide association studies, but also provide new insights into the early life mechanisms of epigenomic dysregulation resulting from trisomy 21.

scholarly journals Efficient and accurate determination of genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in Arabidopsis thaliana with enzymatic methyl sequencing

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suhua Feng ◽  
Zhenhui Zhong ◽  
Ming Wang ◽  
Steven E. Jacobsen
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Bisulfite Sequencing ◽  
Accurate Determination ◽  
Gc Content ◽  
Epigenetic Mark ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Whole Genome Bisulfite Sequencing ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Genome Bisulfite Sequencing

Abstract Background 5′ methylation of cytosines in DNA molecules is an important epigenetic mark in eukaryotes. Bisulfite sequencing is the gold standard of DNA methylation detection, and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) has been widely used to detect methylation at single-nucleotide resolution on a genome-wide scale. However, sodium bisulfite is known to severely degrade DNA, which, in combination with biases introduced during PCR amplification, leads to unbalanced base representation in the final sequencing libraries. Enzymatic conversion of unmethylated cytosines to uracils can achieve the same end product for sequencing as does bisulfite treatment and does not affect the integrity of the DNA; enzymatic methylation sequencing may, thus, provide advantages over bisulfite sequencing. Results Using an enzymatic methyl-seq (EM-seq) technique to selectively deaminate unmethylated cytosines to uracils, we generated and sequenced libraries based on different amounts of Arabidopsis input DNA and different numbers of PCR cycles, and compared these data to results from traditional whole-genome bisulfite sequencing. We found that EM-seq libraries were more consistent between replicates and had higher mapping and lower duplication rates, lower background noise, higher average coverage, and higher coverage of total cytosines. Differential methylation region (DMR) analysis showed that WGBS tended to over-estimate methylation levels especially in CHG and CHH contexts, whereas EM-seq detected higher CG methylation levels in certain highly methylated areas. These phenomena can be mostly explained by a correlation of WGBS methylation estimation with GC content and methylated cytosine density. We used EM-seq to compare methylation between leaves and flowers, and found that CHG methylation level is greatly elevated in flowers, especially in pericentromeric regions. Conclusion We suggest that EM-seq is a more accurate and reliable approach than WGBS to detect methylation. Compared to WGBS, the results of EM-seq are less affected by differences in library preparation conditions or by the skewed base composition in the converted DNA. It may therefore be more desirable to use EM-seq in methylation studies.

scholarly journals Focal disruption of DNA methylation dynamics at enhancers in IDH-mutant AML cells

Leukemia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth R. Wilson ◽  
Nichole M. Helton ◽  
Sharon E. Heath ◽  
Robert S. Fulton ◽  
Jacqueline E. Payton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Myeloid Leukemia ◽  
Bisulfite Sequencing ◽  
Sequencing Data ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Cd34 Cells ◽  
Recurrent Mutations ◽  
Genome Bisulfite Sequencing ◽  
Bisulfite Sequencing Data ◽  
Acute Myeloid

AbstractRecurrent mutations in IDH1 or IDH2 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are associated with increased DNA methylation, but the genome-wide patterns of this hypermethylation phenotype have not been comprehensively studied in AML samples. We analyzed whole-genome bisulfite sequencing data from 15 primary AML samples with IDH1 or IDH2 mutations, which identified ~4000 focal regions that were uniquely hypermethylated in IDHmut samples vs. normal CD34+ cells and other AMLs. These regions had modest hypermethylation in AMLs with biallelic TET2 mutations, and levels of 5-hydroxymethylation that were diminished in IDH and TET-mutant samples, indicating that this hypermethylation results from inhibition of TET-mediated demethylation. Focal hypermethylation in IDHmut AMLs occurred at regions with low methylation in CD34+ cells, implying that DNA methylation and demethylation are active at these loci. AML samples containing IDH and DNMT3AR882 mutations were significantly less hypermethylated, suggesting that IDHmut-associated hypermethylation is mediated by DNMT3A. IDHmut-specific hypermethylation was highly enriched for enhancers that form direct interactions with genes involved in normal hematopoiesis and AML, including MYC and ETV6. These results suggest that focal hypermethylation in IDH-mutant AML occurs by altering the balance between DNA methylation and demethylation, and that disruption of these pathways at enhancers may contribute to AML pathogenesis.

scholarly journals Cecum methylome response to Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis infection in chicken through whole genome bisulfite sequencing

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanmei Wang ◽  
Liying Liu ◽  
Min Li ◽  
Lili Lin ◽  
Pengcheng Su ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Signaling Pathway ◽  
Salmonella Enterica ◽  
Bisulfite Sequencing ◽  
Whole Genome ◽  
Poultry Production ◽  
Whole Genome Bisulfite Sequencing ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Differentially Methylated Genes ◽  
Genome Bisulfite Sequencing

Abstract Background: Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) is one of the pathogenic bacteria, which affects poultry production and poses severe threat to public health. Chicken meat and egg are the main source of SE. DNA methylation, an important epigenetic modification, involves in regulatory processes including gene expression, chromatin structure and genomic imprinting. To understand the methylation regulation in response to SE inoculation in chicken, the genome-wide DNA methylation profile following SE inoculation was analyzed through whole genome bisulfite sequencing in the current study. Results: There were 185,362,463 clean reads and 126,098,724 unique reads in the control group, and 180,530,750 clean Reads, 126,782,896 unique reads in the inoculated group. We found that the methylation density in gene body was higher than that in the upstream and downstream regions of gene. There were 8,946 differentially methylated genes (3,639 hypo-methylated genes, 5,307 hyper-methylated genes) obtained between inoculated and control groups. Methylated genes were mainly enriched in immune-related Gene Ontology (GO) terms and metabolic process terms. Cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, TGF-beta signaling pathway, FoxO signaling pathway, Wnt signaling pathway and several metabolism-related pathways were significantly enriched. The density of differentially methylated cytosines in miRNAs was the highest. HOX genes were widely methylated and mainly distributed in Chr2 and 7. Conclusions: We firstly analyzed the genome-wide DNA methylation in the response to SE inoculation in chicken. SE inoculation promoted the DNA methylation in chicken cecum and caused methylation alteration in immune- and metabolic- related genes. Wnt signal pathway, miRNAs and HOX gene family may play a crucial role in the methylation regulation of SE infection in chicken. The findings herein will deepen the understanding of epigenetic regulation in the response to SE inoculation in chicken.

scholarly journals DNA Methylation and Transcriptomic Features are Preserved Throughout Disease Recurrence and Chemoresistance in High Grade Serous Ovarian Cancers

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Gull ◽  
Michell Jones ◽  
Pei-Chen Peng ◽  
Simon Coetzee ◽  
Tiago Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Bisulfite Sequencing ◽  
Disease Recurrence ◽  
High Grade ◽  
Chemotherapy Treatment ◽  
Recurrent Tumors ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Genome Bisulfite Sequencing

Abstract Background Little is known about the role of global DNA methylation in recurrence and chemoresistance of high grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). We performed whole genome bisulfite sequencing and transcriptome sequencing in 62 primary and recurrent tumors from 28 patients with stage III/IV HGSOC, of which 11 patients carried germline, pathogenic BRCA1 and/or BRCA2 mutations. Results Landscapes of genome-wide methylation (on average 24.2 million CpGs per tumor) and transcriptomes in primary and recurrent tumors showed extensive heterogeneity between patients but were highly preserved in tumors from the same patient. We identified significant differences in the burden of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in tumors from BRCA1/2 compared to non-BRCA1/2 carriers (mean 659 DMRs and 388 DMRs in paired comparisons respectively). We identified overexpression of immune pathways in BRCA1/2 carriers compared to non-carriers, implicating an increased immune response in improved survival (P=0.006) in these BRCA1/2 carriers. Conclusions These findings indicate methylome and gene expression programs established in the primary tumor are conserved throughout disease progression, even extensive chemotherapy treatment, and that changes in methylation and gene expression are unlikely to serve as drivers for chemoresistance in HGSOC.

scholarly journals OTME-5. Meningioma liquid biopsy specimens exhibit contrasting immune-cell landscapes across methylation-subtypes and estimated recurrence risk subgroups

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii14-ii14
Author(s):  
Grayson Herrgott ◽  
Ruicong She ◽  
Thais Sabedot ◽  
Michael Wells ◽  
Karam Asmaro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Random Forest ◽  
Liquid Biopsy ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Recurrence Risk ◽  
Random Forest Classifier ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Biopsy Specimens ◽  
Genome Wide

Abstract Background Tumor-infiltrating immune cell compositions have been previously correlated to encouragement or inhibition of tumor growth. This association highlights immune-landscape profiling through non-invasive methods as a crucial step in approaches to treatment of patients with meningioma (MNG), a prevalent primary intracranial tumor. Genome-wide DNA methylation patterns can aid in definition and assessment of cell compositions in liquid biopsy serum specimens, and allow for development of machine-learning models with predictive capabilities. Methods We profiled the cfDNA methylome (EPIC array) in liquid biopsy specimens from patients with MNG (n = 63) and nontumor controls (n = 6). We conducted both unsupervised epigenome-wide and supervised analyses of the meningioma methylome. Estimation of immune cell composition was conducted using Python-based methodology, where a reference methylome atlas of chosen cell types (B-cells, CD4- and CD8T-cells, neutrophils, natural killer cells, monocytes, cortical neuron, vascular endothelial cells, and healthy meninge) was used to deconvolute the MNG samples. Recurrence risk was estimated using an existing methylation-based Random-Forest classifier previously reported and validated, adapted to our serum-based cohort through employment of translatable meningioma subgroup-specific methylation markers (differentially methylated probes). Results We identified four distinct genome-wide methylation subgroups (k-clusters) of MNG which presented differential tumor micro-environments across all cell types investigated. Application of the DNA methylation-based Random-Forest classifier allowed for categorization of primary MNG serum samples into estimated recurrence-risk subgroups. Significantly contrasting micro-environments for the subgroups were observed across several cell-types, with those MNG more likely to recur displaying depletion in cell types reported to improve anti-tumoral response in many tumors (e.g. T-Cells). Conclusions DNA methylation based deconvolution allowed for detection of contrasting tumor microenvironment compositions across MNG methylation subtypes and recurrence-risk estimation subgroups. These results suggest that microenvironment profiling can be informative of probable tumor behavior and prognostic outcomes, helping guide therapeutic approaches towards treatment of patients with MNG.

scholarly journals Reliability of self-sampling for accurate assessment of respiratory virus viral and immunologic kinetics

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alpana Waghmare ◽  
Elizabeth M. Krantz ◽  
Subhasish Baral ◽  
Emma Vasquez ◽  
Tillie Loeffelholz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Responses ◽  
Respiratory Virus ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Cell Of Origin ◽  
Virus Shedding ◽  
Viral Loads ◽  
Home Based ◽  
Cytokine Levels ◽  
Respiratory Viral Infections

AbstractThe SARS-CoV-2 pandemic demonstrates the need for accurate and convenient approaches to diagnose and therapeutically monitor respiratory viral infections. We demonstrated that self-sampling with foam swabs is well-tolerated and provides quantitative viral output concordant with flocked swabs. Using longitudinal home-based self-sampling, we demonstrate nasal cytokine levels correlate and cluster according to immune cell of origin. Periods of stable viral loads are followed by rapid elimination, which could be coupled with cytokine expansion and contraction using mathematical models. Nasal foam swab self-sampling at home provides a precise, mechanistic readout of respiratory virus shedding and local immune responses.

scholarly journals Regulation of DNA methylation on key parasitism genes of Cysticercus cellulosae revealed by integrative epigenomic-transcriptomic analyses

Hereditas ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 158 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinrui Wang ◽  
Weiyi Song ◽  
Guanyu Ji ◽  
Yining Song ◽  
Xiaolei Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Developmental Regulation ◽  
Taenia Solium ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Host Interactions ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Cysticercus Cellulosae ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Genome Bisulfite Sequencing ◽  
Parasitism Genes

Abstract Background The life cycle of Taenia solium is characterized by different stages of development, requiring various kinds of hosts that can appropriately harbor the eggs (proglottids), the oncospheres, the larvae and the adults. Similar to other metazoan pathogens, T. solium undergoes transcriptional and developmental regulation via epigenetics during its complex lifecycle and host interactions. Result In the present study, we integrated whole-genome bisulfite sequencing and RNA-seq technologies to characterize the genome-wide DNA methylation and its effect on transcription of Cysticercus cellulosae of T. solium. We confirm that the T. solium genome in the cysticercus stage is epigenetically modified by DNA methylation in a pattern similar to that of other invertebrate genomes, i.e., sparsely or moderately methylated. We also observed an enrichment of non-CpG methylation in defined genetic elements of the T. solium genome. Furthermore, an integrative analysis of both the transcriptome and the DNA methylome indicated a strong correlation between these two datasets, suggesting that gene expression might be tightly regulated by DNA methylation. Importantly, our data suggested that DNA methylation might play an important role in repressing key parasitism-related genes, including genes encoding excretion-secretion proteins, thereby raising the possibility of targeting DNA methylation processes as a useful strategy in therapeutics of cysticercosis.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document