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Effect of a 3-Week Multidisciplinary Body Weight Reduction Program on the Epigenetic Age Acceleration in Obese Adults. J Clin Med 2022; 11:jcm11164677. [PMID: 36012914 PMCID: PMC9410133 DOI: 10.3390/jcm11164677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Obesity and aging share common molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), which occur frequently in both conditions. DNA methylation (DNAm) age, a biomarker of the epigenetic clock, has been proposed as a more accurate predictor of biological aging than chronological age. A positive difference between an individual’s chronological age and DNAm age is referred to as epigenetic age acceleration. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of a 3-week in-hospital body weight reduction program (BWRP) on the epigenetic age acceleration, as well as on other cardiometabolic outcomes, in a cohort of 72 obese adults (F/M: 43/29; (chronological) age: 51.5 ± 14.5 yrs; BMI: 46.5 ± 6.3 kg/m2). At the end of the BWRP, when considering the entire population, BMI decreased, and changes in body composition were observed. The BWRP also produced beneficial metabolic effects as demonstrated by decreases in glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, total cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol. A post-BWRP improvement in cardiovascular function was also evident (i.e., decreases in systolic and diastolic blood pressures and heart rate). The BWRP reduced some markers of systemic inflammation, particularly C-reactive protein (CRP). Finally, vascular age (VA) and Framingham risk score (FRS) were reduced after the BWRP. When considering the entire population, DNAm age and epigenetic age acceleration did not differ after the BWRP. However, when subdividing the population into two groups based on each subject’s epigenetic age acceleration (i.e., ≤0 yrs or >0 yrs), the BWRP reduced the epigenetic age acceleration only in obese subjects with a value > 0 yrs (thus biologically older than expected). Among all the single demographic, lifestyle, biochemical, and clinical characteristics investigated, only some markers of systemic inflammation, such as CRP, were associated with the epigenetic age acceleration. Moreover, chronological age was correlated with DNAm age and VA; finally, there was a correlation between DNAm age and VA. In conclusion, a 3-week BWRP is capable of reducing the epigenetic age acceleration in obese adults, being the BWRP-induced rejuvenation evident in subjects with an epigenetic age acceleration > 0 yrs. Based on the BWRP-induced decrease in CRP levels, chronic systemic inflammation seems to play a role in mediating obesity-related epigenetic remodeling and biological aging. Thus, due to the strong association of CVD risk with the epigenetic clock and morbidity/mortality, any effort should be made to reduce the low-grade chronic inflammatory state in obesity.
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Picard E, Bowdish DME, McElhaney JE, Pawelec G, Loeb M, Verschoor CP. The frequency of interleukin-1β-producing monocytes is significantly associated with varicella-zoster responses of nursing home residents. Clin Exp Immunol 2021; 205:63-74. [PMID: 33714219 DOI: 10.1111/cei.13593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 02/27/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated that the status of the T cell compartment and inflammation-related factors are associated with the immunogenicity of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) vaccine in older adults; however, little is known about the roles of other immune cell subsets known to influence the generation and maintenance of immunological memory. Responses to a live-attenuated VZV vaccine were studied in relation to peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) composition and function in a sample of 30 nursing home residents (aged 80-99 years). Interferon-gamma enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) was used to measure VZV responses at baseline and 6 weeks following vaccination, and associations were sought with the frequencies of monocytes and T, B and natural killer (NK) cells and the production and secretion of cytokines following their ex-vivo stimulation with different agents. While only the frequency of interleukin (IL)-6+ CD14+ monocytes was inversely associated with post-vaccination VZV response, amounts of IL-1β, IL-10, IL-17A and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) secreted by PBMCs and the frequency of IL-1β+ CD14+ monocytes was positively correlated with pre-vaccination VZV response. Furthermore, both bivariate correlation and causal mediation analyses supported the notion that IL-1β+ CD14+ monocytes were significant mediators of the associations between IL-1β and TNF secretion by PBMCs and pre-vaccination VZV responses. Our findings implicate a strong cytokine response mediated by inflammatory IL-1β+ monocytes in coordinating responses of long-lived VZV-reactive memory T cells, but with an opposing effect of IL-6+ CD14+ monocytes. Whether monocyte status promotes or inhibits the induction and/or maintenance of these memory T cells later in life has yet to be determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Picard
- Health Sciences North Research Institute, Sudbury, ON, Canada
| | - D M E Bowdish
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - J E McElhaney
- Health Sciences North Research Institute, Sudbury, ON, Canada.,Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury, ON, Canada
| | - G Pawelec
- Health Sciences North Research Institute, Sudbury, ON, Canada.,Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - M Loeb
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Medicine, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - C P Verschoor
- Health Sciences North Research Institute, Sudbury, ON, Canada.,Northern Ontario School of Medicine, Sudbury, ON, Canada
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Hillary RF, Trejo-Banos D, Kousathanas A, McCartney DL, Harris SE, Stevenson AJ, Patxot M, Ojavee SE, Zhang Q, Liewald DC, Ritchie CW, Evans KL, Tucker-Drob EM, Wray NR, McRae AF, Visscher PM, Deary IJ, Robinson MR, Marioni RE. Multi-method genome- and epigenome-wide studies of inflammatory protein levels in healthy older adults. Genome Med 2020; 12:60. [PMID: 32641083 PMCID: PMC7346642 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-020-00754-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The molecular factors which control circulating levels of inflammatory proteins are not well understood. Furthermore, association studies between molecular probes and human traits are often performed by linear model-based methods which may fail to account for complex structure and interrelationships within molecular datasets. METHODS In this study, we perform genome- and epigenome-wide association studies (GWAS/EWAS) on the levels of 70 plasma-derived inflammatory protein biomarkers in healthy older adults (Lothian Birth Cohort 1936; n = 876; Olink® inflammation panel). We employ a Bayesian framework (BayesR+) which can account for issues pertaining to data structure and unknown confounding variables (with sensitivity analyses using ordinary least squares- (OLS) and mixed model-based approaches). RESULTS We identified 13 SNPs associated with 13 proteins (n = 1 SNP each) concordant across OLS and Bayesian methods. We identified 3 CpG sites spread across 3 proteins (n = 1 CpG each) that were concordant across OLS, mixed-model and Bayesian analyses. Tagged genetic variants accounted for up to 45% of variance in protein levels (for MCP2, 36% of variance alone attributable to 1 polymorphism). Methylation data accounted for up to 46% of variation in protein levels (for CXCL10). Up to 66% of variation in protein levels (for VEGFA) was explained using genetic and epigenetic data combined. We demonstrated putative causal relationships between CD6 and IL18R1 with inflammatory bowel disease and between IL12B and Crohn's disease. CONCLUSIONS Our data may aid understanding of the molecular regulation of the circulating inflammatory proteome as well as causal relationships between inflammatory mediators and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert F Hillary
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Daniel Trejo-Banos
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Athanasios Kousathanas
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Daniel L McCartney
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Sarah E Harris
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK
- Lothian Birth Cohorts, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK
| | - Anna J Stevenson
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Marion Patxot
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Sven Erik Ojavee
- Department of Computational Biology, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Qian Zhang
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - David C Liewald
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK
| | - Craig W Ritchie
- Edinburgh Dementia Prevention, Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16 4UX, UK
| | - Kathryn L Evans
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK
| | - Elliot M Tucker-Drob
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
- Population Research Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Naomi R Wray
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Allan F McRae
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Peter M Visscher
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, 4072, Australia
| | - Ian J Deary
- Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK
- Lothian Birth Cohorts, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK
| | - Matthew R Robinson
- Institute of Science and Technology Austria, 3400, Klosterneuburg, Austria.
| | - Riccardo E Marioni
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK.
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McElhaney JE, Verschoor C, Pawelec G. Zoster Vaccination in Older Adults: Efficacy and Public Health Implications. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2020; 74:1239-1243. [PMID: 30945744 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glz085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Shingles and its most common disabling complication, post-herpetic neuralgia, represent a serious public health challenge in the older population. The decline in the T-cell-mediated immune response to varicella zoster virus after age 50 is clearly associated with increased risk of viral reactivation, causing an acutely painful zoster rash, which may have a severe prodrome of dermatomal pain and persist as seriously debilitating post-herpetic neuralgia well beyond the resolution of the rash. However, new vaccines and adjuvants are being developed and trialed and are now more effective in preventing shingles and the sequelae of post-herpetic neuralgia. Those vaccines that possess the ability to enhance antigen presentation and reverse memory T-cell exhaustion, as well as diminish the immune suppressive effects of regulatory T cells, are most likely to be effective in older adults.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Chris Verschoor
- Health Sciences North Research Institute, Sudbury, Ontario.,McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Graham Pawelec
- Health Sciences North Research Institute, Sudbury, Ontario.,Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
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Verschoor CP, Tamim H. Frailty Is Inversely Related to Age at Menopause and Elevated in Women Who Have Had a Hysterectomy: An Analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci 2020; 74:675-682. [PMID: 29688443 DOI: 10.1093/gerona/gly092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Frailty is a complex pathophysiological phenomenon that will impact a significant proportion of adults over the age of 65 and contributes to the risk of several adverse health outcomes. Although women have a disproportionately higher risk of frailty, the sex-specific factors related to this syndrome are not well described. Hence, we sought to examine the relationship of age at menopause, hysterectomy status, and hormone replacement therapy use with prevalent frailty in older women. METHODS We performed a cross-sectional analysis of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) Baseline Comprehensive Cohort (n = 30,097, 45-85 years old). Frailty was operationalized using both the deficit accumulation (frailty index) and frailty phenotype (Fried) models. Postmenopausal women were categorized as follows: premature (30-39 years), early (40-45 years), normal (46-54 years), and late (55+ years) menopause, or hysterectomy. Associations were determined using multivariate analysis, adjusting for sociodemographics, lifestyle factors, social support, and hormone replacement therapy use. RESULTS Age at menopause was inversely related to frailty in older Canadian women. The frailty index decreased 1.2% of the mean (p < .001) with every year of menopause onset and was significantly higher for women in the premature (24%; p < .001) and early (7%; p < .01) menopause and hysterectomy (21%; p < .001) groups, compared to the normal menopause group. The odds for being classified as frail using Fried's criteria was higher for the premature menopause (OR = 1.33, 95% CI = 0.72-2.27) and hysterectomy (OR = 1.59, 95% CI = 1.25-2.02) groups. CONCLUSIONS Our study supports a role for age at menopause and hysterectomy in the risk of frailty in older women and warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris P Verschoor
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.,McMaster Institute for Research on Aging, Ontario, Canada
| | - Hala Tamim
- School of Kinesiology and Health Science, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Abstract
Dementia is an overarching term which describes a group of symptoms that result in long-term decline in cognitive functioning that is significant enough to affect daily function. It is caused by a number of different diseases, the most common of which is Alzheimer's disease. Currently, there are no definitive biomarkers for preclinical or diagnostic use, or which differentiate between underlying disease types. The purpose of this review is to highlight several important areas of research on blood-based biomarkers of dementia, with a specific focus on epigenetic biomarkers. A systematic search of the literature identified 77 studies that compared blood DNA methylation between individuals with dementia and controls and 45 studies that measured microRNA. Very few studies were identified that focused on histone modifications. There were many promising findings from studies in the field of blood-based epigenetic biomarkers of dementia, however, a lack of consistency in study design, technologies, and platforms used for the biomarker measurement, as well as statistical analysis methods, have hampered progress. To date, there are very few findings that have been independently replicated across more than one study, indicating a preponderance of false-positive findings and the field has likely been plagued by positive publication bias. Here, we highlight and discuss several of the limitations of existing studies and provide recommendations for how these could be overcome in future research. A robust framework should be followed to enable development of the most valid and reproducible biomarkers with the strongest clinical utility. Defining a series of biomarkers that may be complimentary to each other could permit a stronger multifactorial biomarker to be developed that would allow for not only accurate dementia diagnosis but preclinical detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter D Fransquet
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University , Melbourne , Australia.,Disease Epigenetics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute , Parkville , Australia
| | - Joanne Ryan
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, Monash University , Melbourne , Australia.,Disease Epigenetics, Murdoch Children's Research Institute , Parkville , Australia
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Epigenetics and Inflammatory Markers: A Systematic Review of the Current Evidence. Int J Inflam 2019; 2019:6273680. [PMID: 31205673 PMCID: PMC6530203 DOI: 10.1155/2019/6273680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms have been suggested to play a role in the genetic regulation of pathways related to inflammation. Therefore, we aimed to systematically review studies investigating the association between DNA methylation and histone modifications with circulatory inflammation markers in blood. Five bibliographic databases were screened until 21 November of 2017. We included studies conducted on humans that examined the association between epigenetic marks (DNA methylation and/or histone modifications) and a comprehensive list of inflammatory markers. Of the 3,759 identified references, 24 articles were included, involving, 17,399 individuals. There was suggestive evidence for global hypomethylation but better-quality studies in the future have to confirm this. Epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) (n=7) reported most of the identified differentially methylated genes to be hypomethylated in inflammatory processes. Candidate genes studies reported 18 differentially methylated genes related to several circulatory inflammation markers. There was no overlap in the methylated sites investigated in candidate gene studies and EWAS, except for TMEM49, which was found to be hypomethylated with higher inflammatory markers in both types of studies. The relation between histone modifications and inflammatory markers was assessed by one study only. This review supports an association between epigenetic marks and inflammation, suggesting hypomethylation of the genome. Important gaps in the quality of studies were reported such as inadequate sample size, lack of adjustment for relevant confounders, and failure to replicate the findings. While most of the studies have been focused on C-reactive protein, further efforts should investigate other inflammatory markers.
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Lei W, Xu Y, Su J, Chong CM, Su HX, Luo J, Fang EF, Bao Z, Chen G. Applications of high-throughput ‘omics’ data in the study of frailty. TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE OF AGING 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tma.2019.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
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Nardini C, Moreau JF, Gensous N, Ravaioli F, Garagnani P, Bacalini MG. The epigenetics of inflammaging: The contribution of age-related heterochromatin loss and locus-specific remodelling and the modulation by environmental stimuli. Semin Immunol 2018; 40:49-60. [PMID: 30396810 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2018.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2018] [Revised: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/15/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
A growing amount of evidences indicates that inflammaging - the chronic, low grade inflammation state characteristic of the elderly - is the result of genetic as well as environmental or stochastic factors. Some of these, such as the accumulation of senescent cells that are persistent during aging or accompany its progression, seem to be sufficient to initiate the aging process and to fuel it. Others, like exposure to environmental compounds or infections, are temporary and resolve within a (relatively) short time. In both cases, however, a cellular memory of the event can be established by means of epigenetic modulation of the genome. In this review we will specifically discuss the relationship between epigenetics and inflammaging. In particular, we will show how age-associated epigenetic modifications concerned with heterochromatin loss and gene-specific remodelling, can promote inflammaging. Furthermore, we will recall how the exposure to specific nutritional, environmental and microbial stimuli can affect the rate of inflammaging through epigenetic mechanisms, touching also on the recent insight given by the concept of trained immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Nardini
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; CNR IAC "Mauro Picone", Roma, Italy; Personal Genomics S.r.l., Verona, Italy
| | - Jean-Francois Moreau
- University of Bordeaux, CNRS-UMR5164, 146 rue Léo Saignat, 33076 Bordeaux, France; CHU Bordeaux, Place Amélie Raba-Léon, Bordeaux, France
| | - Noémie Gensous
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Francesco Ravaioli
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Paolo Garagnani
- Department of Experimental, Diagnostic and Specialty Medicine (DIMES), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Clinical Chemistry, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Karolinska Institutet at Huddinge University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden; Laboratory of Cell Biology, Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, Bologna, Italy; CNR Institute of Molecular Genetics, Unit of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; Center for Applied Biomedical Research (CRBA), St. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy.
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Nwanaji-Enwerem JC, Weisskopf MG, Baccarelli AA. Multi-tissue DNA methylation age: Molecular relationships and perspectives for advancing biomarker utility. Ageing Res Rev 2018; 45:15-23. [PMID: 29698722 PMCID: PMC6047923 DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2018.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2018] [Revised: 03/29/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
The multi-tissue DNA methylation estimator of chronological age (DNAm-age) has been associated with a wide range of exposures and health outcomes. Still, it is unclear how DNAm-age can have such broad relationships and how it can be best utilized as a biomarker. Understanding DNAm-age's molecular relationships is a promising approach to address this critical knowledge gap. In this review, we discuss the existing literature regarding DNAm-age's molecular relationships in six major categories: animal model systems, cancer processes, cellular aging processes, immune system processes, metabolic processes, and nucleic acid processes. We also present perspectives regarding the future of DNAm-age research, including the need to translate a greater number of ongoing research efforts to experimental and animal model systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamaji C Nwanaji-Enwerem
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and MD-PhD Program, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Marc G Weisskopf
- Department of Environmental Health and Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrea A Baccarelli
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, New York, NY, USA
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