scholarly journals Genetics and Epigenetics in Asthma

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (5) ◽  
pp. 2412
Author(s):  
Polyxeni Ntontsi ◽  
Andreas Photiades ◽  
Eleftherios Zervas ◽  
Georgina Xanthou ◽  
Konstantinos Samitas
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Airway Remodeling ◽  
Methylation Pattern ◽  
Atopic Asthma ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Childhood Onset ◽  
Gene Markers ◽  
Asthmatic Patients ◽  
Asthma Susceptibility

Asthma is one of the most common respiratory disease that affects both children and adults worldwide, with diverse phenotypes and underlying pathogenetic mechanisms poorly understood. As technology in genome sequencing progressed, scientific efforts were made to explain and predict asthma’s complexity and heterogeneity, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) quickly became the preferred study method. Several gene markers and loci associated with asthma susceptibility, atopic and childhood-onset asthma were identified during the last few decades. Markers near the ORMDL3/GSDMB genes were associated with childhood-onset asthma, interleukin (IL)33 and IL1RL1 SNPs were associated with atopic asthma, and the Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin (TSLP) gene was identified as protective against the risk to TH2-asthma. The latest efforts and advances in identifying and decoding asthma susceptibility are focused on epigenetics, heritable characteristics that affect gene expression without altering DNA sequence, with DNA methylation being the most described mechanism. Other less studied epigenetic mechanisms include histone modifications and alterations of miR expression. Recent findings suggest that the DNA methylation pattern is tissue and cell-specific. Several studies attempt to describe DNA methylation of different types of cells and tissues of asthmatic patients that regulate airway remodeling, phagocytosis, and other lung functions in asthma. In this review, we attempt to briefly present the latest advancements in the field of genetics and mainly epigenetics concerning asthma susceptibility.

scholarly journals Genome-wide association studies identify 137 genetic loci for DNA methylation biomarkers of aging

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel L. McCartney ◽  
Josine L. Min ◽  
Rebecca C. Richmond ◽  
Ake T. Lu ◽  
Maria K. Sobczyk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Genome Wide Association Study ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Genome Wide Association ◽  
Biological Aging ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Genetic Loci ◽  
Biomarkers Of Aging ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Shared Genetic

Abstract Background Biological aging estimators derived from DNA methylation data are heritable and correlate with morbidity and mortality. Consequently, identification of genetic and environmental contributors to the variation in these measures in populations has become a major goal in the field. Results Leveraging DNA methylation and SNP data from more than 40,000 individuals, we identify 137 genome-wide significant loci, of which 113 are novel, from genome-wide association study (GWAS) meta-analyses of four epigenetic clocks and epigenetic surrogate markers for granulocyte proportions and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 levels, respectively. We find evidence for shared genetic loci associated with the Horvath clock and expression of transcripts encoding genes linked to lipid metabolism and immune function. Notably, these loci are independent of those reported to regulate DNA methylation levels at constituent clock CpGs. A polygenic score for GrimAge acceleration showed strong associations with adiposity-related traits, educational attainment, parental longevity, and C-reactive protein levels. Conclusion This study illuminates the genetic architecture underlying epigenetic aging and its shared genetic contributions with lifestyle factors and longevity.

scholarly journals Comparison of DNA Methylation Profiles of Hemostatic Genes between Liver Tissue and Peripheral Blood within Individuals

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annelie Angerfors ◽  
Martina Olsson Lindvall ◽  
Björn Andersson ◽  
Staffan Nilsson ◽  
Marcela Davila Lopez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Peripheral Blood ◽  
Liver Tissue ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Methylation Pattern ◽  
Cpg Dinucleotides ◽  
Phenotypic Differences ◽  
Targeted Bisulfite Sequencing ◽  
Hemostatic Genes

AbstractDNA methylation has become increasingly recognized in the etiology of complex diseases, including thrombotic disorders. Blood is often collected in epidemiological studies for genotyping and has recently also been used to examine DNA methylation in epigenome-wide association studies. DNA methylation patterns are often tissue-specific, thus, peripheral blood may not accurately reflect the methylation pattern in the tissue of relevance. Here, we collected paired liver and blood samples concurrently from 27 individuals undergoing liver surgery. We performed targeted bisulfite sequencing for a set of 35 hemostatic genes primarily expressed in liver to analyze DNA methylation levels of >10,000 cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) dinucleotides. We evaluated whether DNA methylation in blood could serve as a proxy for DNA methylation in liver at individual CpGs. Approximately 30% of CpGs were nonvariable and were predominantly hypo- (<25%) or hypermethylated (>70%) in both tissues. While blood can serve as a proxy for liver at these CpGs, the low variability renders these unlikely to explain phenotypic differences. We therefore focused on CpG sites with variable methylation levels in liver. The level of blood–liver tissue correlation varied widely across these variable CpGs; moderate correlations (0.5 ≤ r < 0.75) were detected for 6% and strong correlations (r ≥ 0.75) for a further 4%. Our findings indicate that it is essential to study the concordance of DNA methylation between blood and liver at individual CpGs. This paired blood–liver dataset is intended as a resource to aid interpretation of blood-based DNA methylation results.

scholarly journals Cis-Segregation of c.1171C>T Stop Codon (p.R391*) in SERPINC1 Gene and c.1691G>A Transition (p.R506Q) in F5 Gene and Selected GWAS Multilocus Approach in Inherited Thrombophilia

Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 934
Author(s):  
Donato Gemmati ◽  
Giovanna Longo ◽  
Eugenia Franchini ◽  
Juliana Araujo Silva ◽  
Ines Gallo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
At Risk ◽  
Stop Codon ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Premature Stop Codon ◽  
Large Family ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Gene Markers ◽  
Inherited Thrombophilia ◽  
Fv Leiden

Inherited thrombophilia (e.g., venous thromboembolism, VTE) is due to rare loss-of-function mutations in anticoagulant factors genes (i.e., SERPINC1, PROC, PROS1), common gain-of-function mutations in procoagulant factors genes (i.e., F5, F2), and acquired risk conditions. Genome Wide Association Studies (GWAS) recently recognized several genes associated with VTE though gene defects may unpredictably remain asymptomatic, so calculating the individual genetic predisposition is a challenging task. We investigated a large family with severe, recurrent, early-onset VTE in which two sisters experienced VTE during pregnancies characterized by a perinatal in-utero thrombosis in the newborn and a life-saving pregnancy-interruption because of massive VTE, respectively. A nonsense mutation (CGA > TGA) generating a premature stop-codon (c.1171C>T; p.R391*) in the exon 6 of SERPINC1 gene (1q25.1) causing Antithrombin (AT) deficiency and the common missense mutation (c.1691G>A; p.R506Q) in the exon 10 of F5 gene (1q24.2) (i.e., FV Leiden; rs6025) were coinherited in all the symptomatic members investigated suspecting a cis-segregation further confirmed by STR-linkage-analyses [i.e., SERPINC1 IVS5 (ATT)5–18, F5 IVS2 (AT)6–33 and F5 IVS11 (GT)12–16] and SERPINC1 intragenic variants (i.e., rs5878 and rs677). A multilocus investigation of blood-coagulation balance genes detected the coexistence of FV Leiden (rs6025) in trans with FV HR2-haplotype (p.H1299R; rs1800595) in the aborted fetus, and F11 rs2289252, F12 rs1801020, F13A1 rs5985, and KNG1 rs710446 in the newborn and other members. Common selected gene variants may strongly synergize with less common mutations tuning potential life-threatening conditions when combined with rare severest mutations. Merging classic and newly GWAS-identified gene markers in at risk families is mandatory for VTE risk estimation in the clinical practice, avoiding partial risk score evaluation in unrecognized at risk patients.

scholarly journals Children’s Greenness Exposure and IQ-Associated DNA Methylation: A Prospective Cohort Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (14) ◽  
pp. 7429
Author(s):  
Kyung-Shin Lee ◽  
Yoon-Jung Choi ◽  
Jin-Woo Cho ◽  
Sung-Ji Moon ◽  
Youn-Hee Lim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Literature Review ◽  
Cognitive Ability ◽  
Prospective Cohort Study ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
The Body ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Regulatory Pathways

Epigenetics is known to be involved in regulatory pathways through which greenness exposure influences child development and health. We aimed to investigate the associations between residential surrounding greenness and DNA methylation changes in children, and further assessed the association between DNA methylation and children’s intelligence quotient (IQ) in a prospective cohort study. We identified cytosine-guanine dinucleotide sites (CpGs) associated with cognitive abilities from epigenome- and genome-wide association studies through a systematic literature review for candidate gene analysis. We estimated the residential surrounding greenness at age 2 using a geographic information system. DNA methylation was analyzed from whole blood using the HumanMethylationEPIC array in 59 children at age 2. We analyzed the association between greenness exposure and DNA methylation at age 2 at the selected CpGs using multivariable linear regression. We further investigated the relationship between DNA methylation and children’s IQ. We identified 8743 CpGs associated with cognitive ability based on the literature review. Among these CpGs, we found that 25 CpGs were significantly associated with greenness exposure at age 2, including cg26269038 (Bonferroni-corrected p ≤ 0.05) located in the body of SLC6A3, which encodes a dopamine transporter. DNA methylation at cg26269038 at age 2 was significantly associated with children’s performance IQ at age 6. Exposure to surrounding greenness was associated with cognitive ability-related DNA methylation changes, which was also associated with children’s IQ. Further studies are warranted to clarify the epigenetic pathways linking greenness exposure and neurocognitive function.

scholarly journals Polymorphisms in the airway epithelium related genes CDHR3 and EMSY are associated with asthma susceptibility

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miao-miao Zhang ◽  
Guo Chen ◽  
Yu Wang ◽  
Shou quan Wu ◽  
Andrew J Sandford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Airway Epithelium ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Chinese Han Population ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Chinese Han ◽  
Han Population ◽  
Asthma Susceptibility ◽  
Asthma Risk

Abstract Background: As a main line of defense of the respiratory tract, the airway epithelium plays an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma. CDHR3 and EMSY were reported to be expressed in the human airway epithelium. Although previous genome-wide association studies found that the two genes were associated with asthma susceptibility, similar observations have not been made in the Chinese Han population. Methods: A total of 300 asthma patients and 418 healthy controls unrelated Chinese Han individuals were enrolled. Tag-single nucleotide polymorphisms (Tag-SNPs) were genotyped and the associations between SNPs and asthma risk were analyzed by binary logistic regression analysis. Results: After adjusting for confounding factors, the A allele of rs3847076 in CDHR3 was associated with increased susceptibility to asthma (OR = 1.407, 95% CI: 1.030-1.923). For the EMSY gene, the T alleles of both rs2508746 and rs12278256 were related with decreased susceptibility to asthma (additive model: OR = 0.718, 95% CI: 0.536-0.961; OR = 0.558, 95% CI: 0.332-0.937, respectively). In addition, the GG genotype of rs1892953 showed an association with increased asthma risk under the recessive model (OR = 1.667, 95% CI: 1.104-2.518) and the GATCTGAGT haplotype in EMSY was associated with reduced asthma risk ( P = 0.037). Conclusions: This study identified novel associations of rs3847076 in CDHR3 , as well as rs1892953, rs2508746 and rs12278256 in EMSY with adult asthma susceptibility in the Chinese Han population. Our observations suggest that CDHR3 and EMSY may play important roles in the pathogenesis of asthma in Chinese individuals. Further study with larger sample size is needed.

Abstract MP32: Epigenome-Wide DNA Methylation Profiling in a CVD Cohort: The ARIC Study

Circulation ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 127 (suppl_12) ◽  
Author(s):  
James S Pankow ◽  
Ellen W Demerath ◽  
Weihua Guan ◽  
Myriam Fornage ◽  
Thomas H Mosley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
X Chromosome ◽  
Methylation Level ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
European Ancestry ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Stage Of Development ◽  
Average Methylation ◽  
Aric Study

DNA methylation is mitotically heritable modification in chromatin structure that impacts transcriptional control of genes and cellular function. Recent technological advances provide opportunities to systematically interrogate variation in DNA methylation across the genome in large epidemiologic studies. However, unlike inherited changes to the genetic sequence, variation in site-specific methylation varies by tissue, stage of development, disease state, and may be affected by gender, aging and exposure to environmental factors. As a result, there is likely a greater threat of confounding in epigenome-wide methylation studies compared to genome-wide association studies of SNPs. The Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip was used to measure DNA methylation in peripheral blood obtained from African American participants from the Jackson, Mississippi and Forsyth County, North Carolina field centers of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, a population-based cohort of middle-aged men and women. After excluding outlier samples and CpG sites using quality control filters, we analyzed 473,687 sites in 2873 subjects who were between 47-71 years of age at the time of DNA collection. We used linear regression with robust standard errors to examine cross-sectional associations of demographic factors with the beta value, an estimate of the average methylation level at each locus, and applied a Bonferroni correction to account for multiple testing. In univariate analysis, 91% of sites on the X chromosome and 10% of sites on the autosomes exhibited statistically significant gender differences in methylation level (p<1x10-7). Average methylation was higher in women than men for most of the significant sites (63% and 89% on the X chromosome and autosomes, respectively). Percent European ancestry estimated from ancestry informative markers was significantly associated with methylation level at 4% of sites. Age was also significantly associated with methylation at 4% of sites; average methylation was lower in older subjects compared to younger subjects for the majority (58%) of these sites. As we begin to implement epigenome-wide studies of DNA methylation and CVD outcomes, these results indicate that such studies will require careful consideration of adjustment techniques to avoid confounding by gender, age, and other covariates.

scholarly journals Genome-wide identification of DNA methylation QTLs in whole blood highlights pathways for cardiovascular disease

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianxiao Huan ◽  
Roby Joehanes ◽  
Ci Song ◽  
Fen Peng ◽  
Yichen Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Whole Blood ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
Transcriptional Regulatory ◽  
Disease Associations ◽  
Independent Replication ◽  
Functional Mechanisms

Abstract Identifying methylation quantitative trait loci (meQTLs) and integrating them with disease-associated variants from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) may illuminate functional mechanisms underlying genetic variant-disease associations. Here, we perform GWAS of >415 thousand CpG methylation sites in whole blood from 4170 individuals and map 4.7 million cis- and 630 thousand trans-meQTL variants targeting >120 thousand CpGs. Independent replication is performed in 1347 participants from two studies. By linking cis-meQTL variants with GWAS results for cardiovascular disease (CVD) traits, we identify 92 putatively causal CpGs for CVD traits by Mendelian randomization analysis. Further integrating gene expression data reveals evidence of cis CpG-transcript pairs causally linked to CVD. In addition, we identify 22 trans-meQTL hotspots each targeting more than 30 CpGs and find that trans-meQTL hotspots appear to act in cis on expression of nearby transcriptional regulatory genes. Our findings provide a powerful meQTL resource and shed light on DNA methylation involvement in human diseases.

scholarly journals Leveraging brain cortex-derived molecular data to elucidate epigenetic and transcriptomic drivers of neurological function and disease

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charlie Hatcher ◽  
Caroline L. Relton ◽  
Tom R. Gaunt ◽  
Tom G. Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Histone Acetylation ◽  
Genetic Variants ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Genetic Variant ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Epigenetic Mechanisms ◽  
Trait Variation

AbstractIntegrative approaches which harness large-scale molecular datasets can help develop mechanistic insight into findings from genome-wide association studies (GWAS). We have performed extensive analyses to uncover transcriptional and epigenetic processes which may play a role in neurological trait variation.This was undertaken by applying Bayesian multiple-trait colocalization systematically across the genome to identify genetic variants responsible for influencing intermediate molecular phenotypes as well as neurological traits. In this analysis we leveraged high dimensional quantitative trait loci data derived from prefrontal cortex tissue (concerning gene expression, DNA methylation and histone acetylation) and GWAS findings for 5 neurological traits (Neuroticism, Schizophrenia, Educational Attainment, Insomnia and Alzheimer’s disease).There was evidence of colocalization for 118 associations suggesting that the same underlying genetic variant influenced both nearby gene expression as well as neurological trait variation. Of these, 73 associations provided evidence that the genetic variant also influenced proximal DNA methylation and/or histone acetylation. These findings support previous evidence at loci where epigenetic mechanisms may putatively mediate effects of genetic variants on traits, such as KLC1 and schizophrenia. We also uncovered evidence implicating novel loci in neurological disease susceptibility, including genes expressed predominantly in brain tissue such as MDGA1, KIRREL3 and SLC12A5.An inverse relationship between DNA methylation and gene expression was observed more than can be accounted for by chance, supporting previous findings implicating DNA methylation as a transcriptional repressor. Our study should prove valuable in helping future studies prioritise candidate genes and epigenetic mechanisms for in-depth functional follow-up analyses.

scholarly journals The Risk G Allele of the Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism rs928413 Creates a CREB1-Binding Site That Activates IL33 Promoter in Lung Epithelial Cells

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (10) ◽  
pp. 2911 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alisa Gorbacheva ◽  
Kirill Korneev ◽  
Dmitry Kuprash ◽  
Nikita Mitkin
Keyword(s):  
Single Nucleotide Polymorphism ◽  
Binding Site ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Lung Epithelial Cells ◽  
Atopic Asthma ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Dependent Manner ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphism ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Proinflammatory Mediators

Cytokine interleukin 33 (IL-33) is constitutively expressed by epithelial barrier cells, and promotes the development of humoral immune responses. Along with other proinflammatory mediators released by the epithelium of airways and lungs, it plays an important role in a number of respiratory pathologies. In particular, IL-33 significantly contributes to pathogenesis of allergy and asthma; genetic variations in the IL33 locus are associated with increased susceptibility to asthma. Large-scale genome-wide association studies have identified minor “G” allele of the single-nucleotide polymorphism rs928413, located in the IL33 promoter area, as a susceptible variant for early childhood and atopic asthma development. Here, we demonstrate that the rs928413(G) allele creates a binding site for the cAMP response element-binding protein 1 (CREB1) transcription factor. In a pulmonary epithelial cell line, activation of CREB1, presumably via the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) cascade, activates the IL33 promoter containing the rs928413(G) allele specifically and in a CREB1-dependent manner. This mechanism may explain the negative effect of the rs928413 minor “G” allele on asthma development.

scholarly journals Polymorphisms in the airway epithelium related genes CDHR3 and EMSY are associated with asthma susceptibility

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Miaomiao Zhang ◽  
Guo Chen ◽  
Yu Wang ◽  
Shou-Quan Wu ◽  
Andrew J. Sandford ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Airway Epithelium ◽  
Association Studies ◽  
Chinese Han Population ◽  
Binary Logistic Regression Analysis ◽  
Genome Wide Association Studies ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Chinese Han ◽  
Han Population ◽  
Asthma Susceptibility ◽  
Asthma Risk

Abstract Background As a main line of defense of the respiratory tract, the airway epithelium plays an important role in the pathogenesis of asthma. CDHR3 and EMSY were reported to be expressed in the human airway epithelium. Although previous genome-wide association studies found that the two genes were associated with asthma susceptibility, similar observations have not been made in the Chinese Han population. Methods A total of 300 asthma patients and 418 healthy controls unrelated Chinese Han individuals were enrolled. Tag-single nucleotide polymorphisms (Tag-SNPs) were genotyped and the associations between SNPs and asthma risk were analyzed by binary logistic regression analysis. Results After adjusting for confounding factors, the A allele of rs3847076 in CDHR3 was associated with increased susceptibility to asthma (OR = 1.407, 95% CI: 1.030–1.923). For the EMSY gene, the T alleles of both rs2508746 and rs12278256 were related with decreased susceptibility to asthma (additive model: OR = 0.718, 95% CI: 0.536–0.961; OR = 0.558, 95% CI: 0.332–0.937, respectively). In addition, the GG genotype of rs1892953 showed an association with increased asthma risk under the recessive model (OR = 1.667, 95% CI: 1.104–2.518) and the GATCTGAGT haplotype in EMSY was associated with reduced asthma risk (P = 0.037). Conclusions This study identified novel associations of rs3847076 in CDHR3, as well as rs1892953, rs2508746 and rs12278256 in EMSY with adult asthma susceptibility in the Chinese Han population. Our observations suggest that CDHR3 and EMSY may play important roles in the pathogenesis of asthma in Chinese individuals. Further study with larger sample size is needed.

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