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Meeks GL, Scelza B, Asnake HM, Prall S, Patin E, Froment A, Fagny M, Quintana-Murci L, Henn BM, Gopalan S. Common DNA sequence variation influences epigenetic aging in African populations. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.26.608843. [PMID: 39253488 PMCID: PMC11383046 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.26.608843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/11/2024]
Abstract
Aging is associated with genome-wide changes in DNA methylation in humans, facilitating the development of epigenetic age prediction models. However, most of these models have been trained primarily on European-ancestry individuals, and none account for the impact of methylation quantitative trait loci (meQTL). To address these gaps, we analyzed the relationships between age, genotype, and CpG methylation in 3 understudied populations: central African Baka (n = 35), southern African ‡Khomani San (n = 52), and southern African Himba (n = 51). We find that published prediction methods yield higher mean errors in these cohorts compared to European-ancestry individuals, and find that unaccounted-for DNA sequence variation may be a significant factor underlying this loss of accuracy. We leverage information about the associations between DNA genotype and CpG methylation to develop an age predictor that is minimally influenced by meQTL, and show that this model remains accurate across a broad range of genetic backgrounds. Intriguingly, we also find that the older individuals and those exhibiting relatively lower epigenetic age acceleration in our cohorts tend to carry more epigenetic age-reducing genetic variants, suggesting a novel mechanism by which heritable factors can influence longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gillian L Meeks
- Integrative Genetics and Genomics Graduate Program, University of California, Davis, CA 95694, USA
| | - Brooke Scelza
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Hana M Asnake
- Forensic Science Graduate Program, University of California, Davis, CA, 95694, USA
| | - Sean Prall
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Etienne Patin
- Human Evolutionary Genetics Unit, CNRS UMR2000, Paris, 75015, France
| | - Alain Froment
- Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, UMR 208, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 75005, France
| | - Maud Fagny
- Human Evolutionary Genetics Unit, CNRS UMR2000, Paris, 75015, France
- Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Genetique Quantitative et Evolution - Le Moulon, Gif-sur-Yvette, 91190, France
| | | | - Brenna M Henn
- Department of Anthropology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- UC Davis Genome Center and Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95694, USA
| | - Shyamalika Gopalan
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, 11790, USA
- Department of Genetics and Biochemistry, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA
- Center for Human Genetics, Clemson University, Greenwood, SC 29646, USA
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Gerra MC, Dallabona C, Cecchi R. Epigenetic analyses in forensic medicine: future and challenges. Int J Legal Med 2024; 138:701-719. [PMID: 38242965 PMCID: PMC11003920 DOI: 10.1007/s00414-024-03165-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
The possibility of using epigenetics in forensic investigation has gradually risen over the last few years. Epigenetic changes with their dynamic nature can either be inherited or accumulated throughout a lifetime and be reversible, prompting investigation of their use across various fields. In forensic sciences, multiple applications have been proposed, such as the discrimination of monozygotic twins, identifying the source of a biological trace left at a crime scene, age prediction, determination of body fluids and tissues, human behavior association, wound healing progression, and determination of the post-mortem interval (PMI). Despite all these applications, not all the studies considered the impact of PMI and post-sampling effects on the epigenetic modifications and the tissue-specificity of the epigenetic marks.This review aims to highlight the substantial forensic significance that epigenetics could support in various forensic investigations. First, basic concepts in epigenetics, describing the main epigenetic modifications and their functions, in particular, DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNA, with a particular focus on forensic applications, were covered. For each epigenetic marker, post-mortem stability and tissue-specificity, factors that should be carefully considered in the study of epigenetic biomarkers in the forensic context, have been discussed. The advantages and limitations of using post-mortem tissues have been also addressed, proposing directions for these innovative strategies to analyze forensic specimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Carla Gerra
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences, and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area Delle Scienze 11a, Viale Delle Scienze 11a, 43124, Parma, PR, Italy
| | - Cristina Dallabona
- Department of Chemistry, Life Sciences, and Environmental Sustainability, University of Parma, Parco Area Delle Scienze 11a, Viale Delle Scienze 11a, 43124, Parma, PR, Italy.
| | - Rossana Cecchi
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Via Antonio Gramsci 14, 43126, Parma, PR, Italy
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