Association of DNA methylation in circulating CD4+T cells with short-term PM2.5 pollution waves: A quasi-experimental study of healthy young adults

Methylomic, Proteomic, and Metabolomic Correlates of Traffic-Related Air Pollution in the Context of Cardiorespiratory Health: A Systematic Review, Pathway Analysis, and Network Analysis

A growing body of literature has attempted to characterize how traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) affects molecular and subclinical biological processes in ways that could lead to cardiorespiratory disease. To provide a streamlined synthesis of what is known about the multiple mechanisms through which TRAP could lead to cardiorespiratory pathology, we conducted a systematic review of the epidemiological literature relating TRAP exposure to methylomic, proteomic, and metabolomic biomarkers in adult populations. Using the 139 papers that met our inclusion criteria, we identified the omic biomarkers significantly associated with short- or long-term TRAP and used these biomarkers to conduct pathway and network analyses. We considered the evidence for TRAP-related associations with biological pathways involving lipid metabolism, cellular energy production, amino acid metabolism, inflammation and immunity, coagulation, endothelial function, and oxidative stress. Our analysis suggests that an integrated multi-omics approach may provide critical new insights into the ways TRAP could lead to adverse clinical outcomes. We advocate for efforts to build a more unified approach for characterizing the dynamic and complex biological processes linking TRAP exposure and subclinical and clinical disease and highlight contemporary challenges and opportunities associated with such efforts.

Methylomic, proteomic, and metabolomic correlates of traffic-related air pollution: A systematic review, pathway analysis, and network analysis relating traffic-related air pollution to subclinical and clinical cardiorespiratory outcomes

A growing body of literature has attempted to characterize how traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) affects molecular and subclinical biological processes in ways that could lead to cardiorespiratory disease. To provide a streamlined synthesis of what is known about the multiple mechanisms through which TRAP could lead cardiorespiratory pathology, we conducted a systematic review of the epidemiological literature relating TRAP exposure to methylomic, proteomic, and metabolomic biomarkers in adult populations. Using the 139 papers that met our inclusion criteria, we identified the omic biomarkers significantly associated with short- or long-term TRAP and used these biomarkers to conduct pathway and network analyses. We considered the evidence for TRAP-related associations with biological pathways involving lipid metabolism, cellular energy production, amino acid metabolism, inflammation and immunity, coagulation, endothelial function, and oxidative stress. Our analysis suggests that an integrated multi-omics approach may provide critical new insights into the ways TRAP could lead to adverse clinical outcomes. We advocate for efforts to build a more unified approach for characterizing the dynamic and complex biological processes linking TRAP exposure and subclinical and clinical disease, and highlight contemporary challenges and opportunities associated with such efforts.

Short-term exposure to fine particulate matter and genome-wide DNA methylation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: A panel study conducted in Beijing, China

Background

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is a crucial risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the mechanisms whereby PM2.5 contribute to COPD risk have not been fully elucidated. Accumulating evidence suggests that epigenetics, including DNA methylation, play an important role in this process; however, the association between PM2.5 exposure and genome-wide DNA methylation in patients with COPD has not been studied.

Objective

To evaluate the association of personal exposure to PM2.5 and genome-wide DNA methylation changes in the peripheral blood of patients with COPD.

Methods

A panel study was conducted in Beijing, China. We repeatedly measured and collected personal PM2.5 data for 72 h. Genome-wide DNA-methylation of peripheral blood was analyzed using the Illumina Infinium Human Methylation BeadChip (850 k). A linear-mixed effect model was used to identify the differentially methylated probe (DMP) associated with PM2.5. Finally, we performed a functional enrichment analysis of the DMPs that were significantly associated with PM2.5.

Results

A total of 24 COPD patients were enrolled and 48 repeated DNA methylation measurements were associated in this study. When the false discovery rate was < 0.05, 19 DMPs were significantly associated with PM2.5 and were annotated to corresponding genes. Functional enrichment analysis of these genes showed that they were related to the response to toxic substances, regulation of tumor necrosis factor superfamily cytokine production, regulation of photosensitivity 3-kinase signaling, and other pathways.

Conclusion

This study provided evidence for a significant relationship between personal PM2.5 exposure and DNA methylation in patients with COPD. Our research also revealed a new biological pathway explaining the adverse effects of PM2.5 exposure on COPD risk.