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Bell CG. Epigenomic insights into common human disease pathology. Cell Mol Life Sci 2024; 81:178. [PMID: 38602535 PMCID: PMC11008083 DOI: 10.1007/s00018-024-05206-2] [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: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
The epigenome-the chemical modifications and chromatin-related packaging of the genome-enables the same genetic template to be activated or repressed in different cellular settings. This multi-layered mechanism facilitates cell-type specific function by setting the local sequence and 3D interactive activity level. Gene transcription is further modulated through the interplay with transcription factors and co-regulators. The human body requires this epigenomic apparatus to be precisely installed throughout development and then adequately maintained during the lifespan. The causal role of the epigenome in human pathology, beyond imprinting disorders and specific tumour suppressor genes, was further brought into the spotlight by large-scale sequencing projects identifying that mutations in epigenomic machinery genes could be critical drivers in both cancer and developmental disorders. Abrogation of this cellular mechanism is providing new molecular insights into pathogenesis. However, deciphering the full breadth and implications of these epigenomic changes remains challenging. Knowledge is accruing regarding disease mechanisms and clinical biomarkers, through pathogenically relevant and surrogate tissue analyses, respectively. Advances include consortia generated cell-type specific reference epigenomes, high-throughput DNA methylome association studies, as well as insights into ageing-related diseases from biological 'clocks' constructed by machine learning algorithms. Also, 3rd-generation sequencing is beginning to disentangle the complexity of genetic and DNA modification haplotypes. Cell-free DNA methylation as a cancer biomarker has clear clinical utility and further potential to assess organ damage across many disorders. Finally, molecular understanding of disease aetiology brings with it the opportunity for exact therapeutic alteration of the epigenome through CRISPR-activation or inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher G Bell
- William Harvey Research Institute, Barts & The London Faculty of Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London, EC1M 6BQ, UK.
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2
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Skardžiūtė K, Kvederavičiūtė K, Pečiulienė I, Narmontė M, Gibas P, Ličytė J, Klimašauskas S, Kriukienė E. One-pot trimodal mapping of unmethylated, hydroxymethylated, and open chromatin sites unveils distinctive 5hmC roles at dynamic chromatin loci. Cell Chem Biol 2024; 31:607-621.e9. [PMID: 38154461 PMCID: PMC10962225 DOI: 10.1016/j.chembiol.2023.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
We present a method, named Mx-TOP, for profiling of three epigenetic regulatory layers-chromatin accessibility, general DNA modification, and DNA hydroxymethylation-from a single library. The approach is based on chemo-enzymatic covalent tagging of unmodified CG sites and hydroxymethylated cytosine (5hmC) along with GC sites in chromatin, which are then mapped using tag-selective base-resolution TOP-seq sequencing. Our in-depth validation of the approach revealed its sensitivity and informativity in evaluating chromatin accessibility and DNA modification interactions that drive transcriptional regulation. We employed the technology in a study of chromatin and DNA demethylation dynamics during in vitro neuronal differentiation. The study highlighted the involvement of gene body 5hmC in modulating an extensive decoupling between promoter accessibility and transcription. The importance of 5hmC in chromatin remodeling was further demonstrated by the observed resistance of the developmentally acquired open loci to the global 5hmC erasure in neuronal progenitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kotryna Skardžiūtė
- Department of Biological DNA Modification, Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, 10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Kotryna Kvederavičiūtė
- Department of Biological DNA Modification, Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, 10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Inga Pečiulienė
- Department of Biological DNA Modification, Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, 10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Milda Narmontė
- Department of Biological DNA Modification, Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, 10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Povilas Gibas
- Department of Biological DNA Modification, Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, 10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Janina Ličytė
- Department of Biological DNA Modification, Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, 10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Saulius Klimašauskas
- Department of Biological DNA Modification, Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, 10257 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Edita Kriukienė
- Department of Biological DNA Modification, Institute of Biotechnology, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, 10257 Vilnius, Lithuania.
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Tost J. Current and Emerging Technologies for the Analysis of the Genome-Wide and Locus-Specific DNA Methylation Patterns. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 1389:395-469. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-11454-0_16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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4
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Villicaña S, Bell JT. Genetic impacts on DNA methylation: research findings and future perspectives. Genome Biol 2021; 22:127. [PMID: 33931130 PMCID: PMC8086086 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-021-02347-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple recent studies highlight that genetic variants can have strong impacts on a significant proportion of the human DNA methylome. Methylation quantitative trait loci, or meQTLs, allow for the exploration of biological mechanisms that underlie complex human phenotypes, with potential insights for human disease onset and progression. In this review, we summarize recent milestones in characterizing the human genetic basis of DNA methylation variation over the last decade, including heritability findings and genome-wide identification of meQTLs. We also discuss challenges in this field and future areas of research geared to generate insights into molecular processes underlying human complex traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Villicaña
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, St. Thomas’ Hospital, King’s College London, 3rd Floor, South Wing, Block D, London, SE1 7EH UK
| | - Jordana T. Bell
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, St. Thomas’ Hospital, King’s College London, 3rd Floor, South Wing, Block D, London, SE1 7EH UK
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Coninx E, Chew YC, Yang X, Guo W, Coolkens A, Baatout S, Moons L, Verslegers M, Quintens R. Hippocampal and cortical tissue-specific epigenetic clocks indicate an increased epigenetic age in a mouse model for Alzheimer's disease. Aging (Albany NY) 2020; 12:20817-20834. [PMID: 33082299 PMCID: PMC7655172 DOI: 10.18632/aging.104056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/27/2020] [Indexed: 04/17/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic clocks are based on age-associated changes in DNA methylation of CpG-sites, which can accurately measure chronological age in different species. Recently, several studies have indicated that the difference between chronological and epigenetic age, defined as the age acceleration, could reflect biological age indicating functional decline and age-associated diseases. In humans, an epigenetic clock associated Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology with an acceleration of the epigenetic age. In this study, we developed and validated two mouse brain region-specific epigenetic clocks from the C57BL/6J hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Both clocks, which could successfully estimate chronological age, were further validated in a widely used mouse model for AD, the triple transgenic AD (3xTg-AD) mouse. We observed an epigenetic age acceleration indicating an increased biological age for the 3xTg-AD mice compared to non-pathological C57BL/6J mice, which was more pronounced in the cortex as compared to the hippocampus. Genomic region enrichment analysis revealed that age-dependent CpGs were enriched in genes related to developmental, aging-related, neuronal and neurodegenerative functions. Due to the limited access of human brain tissues, these epigenetic clocks specific for mouse cortex and hippocampus might be important in further unravelling the role of epigenetic mechanisms underlying AD pathology or brain aging in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Coninx
- Radiobiology Unit, Institute for Environment, Health and Safety, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Mol 2400, Belgium
- Neural Circuit Development and Regeneration Research Group, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Yap Ching Chew
- Epigenetics Technologies, Zymo Research Corporation, Irvine, CA 92614, USA
| | - Xiaojing Yang
- Epigenetics Technologies, Zymo Research Corporation, Irvine, CA 92614, USA
| | - Wei Guo
- Epigenetics Technologies, Zymo Research Corporation, Irvine, CA 92614, USA
| | - Amelie Coolkens
- Radiobiology Unit, Institute for Environment, Health and Safety, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Mol 2400, Belgium
| | - Sarah Baatout
- Radiobiology Unit, Institute for Environment, Health and Safety, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Mol 2400, Belgium
| | - Lieve Moons
- Neural Circuit Development and Regeneration Research Group, Department of Biology, KU Leuven, Leuven 3000, Belgium
| | - Mieke Verslegers
- Radiobiology Unit, Institute for Environment, Health and Safety, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Mol 2400, Belgium
| | - Roel Quintens
- Radiobiology Unit, Institute for Environment, Health and Safety, Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK CEN), Mol 2400, Belgium
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6
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DNA methylation study of Huntington's disease and motor progression in patients and in animal models. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4529. [PMID: 32913184 PMCID: PMC7484780 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18255-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Accepted: 08/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Although Huntington's disease (HD) is a well studied Mendelian genetic disorder, less is known about its associated epigenetic changes. Here, we characterize DNA methylation levels in six different tissues from 3 species: a mouse huntingtin (Htt) gene knock-in model, a transgenic HTT sheep model, and humans. Our epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) of human blood reveals that HD mutation status is significantly (p < 10-7) associated with 33 CpG sites, including the HTT gene (p = 6.5 × 10-26). These Htt/HTT associations were replicated in the Q175 Htt knock-in mouse model (p = 6.0 × 10-8) and in the transgenic sheep model (p = 2.4 × 10-88). We define a measure of HD motor score progression among manifest HD cases based on multiple clinical assessments. EWAS of motor progression in manifest HD cases exhibits significant (p < 10-7) associations with methylation levels at three loci: near PEX14 (p = 9.3 × 10-9), GRIK4 (p = 3.0 × 10-8), and COX4I2 (p = 6.5 × 10-8). We conclude that HD is accompanied by profound changes of DNA methylation levels in three mammalian species.
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Bell CG, Lowe R, Adams PD, Baccarelli AA, Beck S, Bell JT, Christensen BC, Gladyshev VN, Heijmans BT, Horvath S, Ideker T, Issa JPJ, Kelsey KT, Marioni RE, Reik W, Relton CL, Schalkwyk LC, Teschendorff AE, Wagner W, Zhang K, Rakyan VK. DNA methylation aging clocks: challenges and recommendations. Genome Biol 2019; 20:249. [PMID: 31767039 PMCID: PMC6876109 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-019-1824-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 459] [Impact Index Per Article: 91.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2019] [Accepted: 09/16/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic clocks comprise a set of CpG sites whose DNA methylation levels measure subject age. These clocks are acknowledged as a highly accurate molecular correlate of chronological age in humans and other vertebrates. Also, extensive research is aimed at their potential to quantify biological aging rates and test longevity or rejuvenating interventions. Here, we discuss key challenges to understand clock mechanisms and biomarker utility. This requires dissecting the drivers and regulators of age-related changes in single-cell, tissue- and disease-specific models, as well as exploring other epigenomic marks, longitudinal and diverse population studies, and non-human models. We also highlight important ethical issues in forensic age determination and predicting the trajectory of biological aging in an individual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher G Bell
- William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
| | - Robert Lowe
- The Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
| | - Peter D Adams
- Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA.
- Beatson Institute for Cancer Research and University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
| | - Andrea A Baccarelli
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Stephan Beck
- Medical Genomics, Paul O'Gorman Building, UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Jordana T Bell
- Department of Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, King's College London, London, UK.
| | - Brock C Christensen
- Department of Epidemiology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA.
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA.
- Department of Community and Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth College, Lebanon, NH, USA.
| | - Vadim N Gladyshev
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Bastiaan T Heijmans
- Molecular Epidemiology, Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
| | - Steve Horvath
- Department of Human Genetics, Gonda Research Center, David Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Trey Ideker
- San Diego Center for Systems Biology, University of California-San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA.
| | - Jean-Pierre J Issa
- Fels Institute for Cancer Research, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Karl T Kelsey
- Department of Epidemiology, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.
| | - Riccardo E Marioni
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
- Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| | - Wolf Reik
- Epigenetics Programme, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK.
- The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Caroline L Relton
- Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit (MRC IEU), School of Social and Community Medicine, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
| | | | - Andrew E Teschendorff
- CAS Key Laboratory of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 320 Yue Yang Road, Shanghai, 200031, China.
- UCL Cancer Institute, Paul O'Gorman Building, University College London, 72 Huntley Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
| | - Wolfgang Wagner
- Helmholtz-Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Stem Cell Biology and Cellular Engineering, RWTH Aachen Faculty of Medicine, Aachen, Germany.
| | - Kang Zhang
- Faculty of Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Taipa, Macau.
| | - Vardhman K Rakyan
- The Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
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8
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Zhou L, Ng HK, Drautz-Moses DI, Schuster SC, Beck S, Kim C, Chambers JC, Loh M. Systematic evaluation of library preparation methods and sequencing platforms for high-throughput whole genome bisulfite sequencing. Sci Rep 2019; 9:10383. [PMID: 31316107 PMCID: PMC6637168 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-46875-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 07/05/2019] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS), with its ability to interrogate methylation status at single CpG site resolution epigenome-wide, is a powerful technique for use in molecular experiments. Here, we aim to advance strategies for accurate and efficient WGBS for application in future large-scale epidemiological studies. We systematically compared the performance of three WGBS library preparation methods with low DNA input requirement (Swift Biosciences Accel-NGS, Illumina TruSeq and QIAGEN QIAseq) on two state-of-the-art sequencing platforms (Illumina NovaSeq and HiSeq X), and also assessed concordance between data generated by WGBS and methylation arrays. Swift achieved the highest proportion of CpG sites assayed and effective coverage at 26x (P < 0.001). TruSeq suffered from the highest proportion of PCR duplicates, while QIAseq failed to deliver across all quality metrics. There was little difference in performance between NovaSeq and HiSeq X, with the exception of higher read duplication rate on the NovaSeq (P < 0.05), likely attributable to the higher cluster densities on its flow cells. Systematic biases exist between WGBS and methylation arrays, with lower precision observed for WGBS across the range of depths investigated. To achieve a level of precision broadly comparable to the methylation array, a minimum coverage of 100x is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Zhou
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 308232, Singapore
| | - Hong Kiat Ng
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 308232, Singapore
| | - Daniela I Drautz-Moses
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - Stephan C Schuster
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 637551, Singapore
| | - Stephan Beck
- University College London Cancer Institute, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | | | - John Campbell Chambers
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 308232, Singapore
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London, W2 1PG, United Kingdom
- Department of Cardiology, Ealing Hospital, London North West Healthcare NHS Trust, Southall, UB1 3HW, United Kingdom
- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, W12 0HS, United Kingdom
| | - Marie Loh
- Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 308232, Singapore.
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London, W2 1PG, United Kingdom.
- Translational Laboratory in Genetic Medicine, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138648, Singapore.
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Fang L, Zhou Y, Liu S, Jiang J, Bickhart DM, Null DJ, Li B, Schroeder SG, Rosen BD, Cole JB, Van Tassell CP, Ma L, Liu GE. Integrating Signals from Sperm Methylome Analysis and Genome-Wide Association Study for a Better Understanding of Male Fertility in Cattle. EPIGENOMES 2019; 3:epigenomes3020010. [PMID: 34968233 PMCID: PMC8594688 DOI: 10.3390/epigenomes3020010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2019] [Revised: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 05/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Decreased male fertility is a big concern in both human society and the livestock industry. Sperm DNA methylation is commonly believed to be associated with male fertility. However, due to the lack of accurate male fertility records (i.e., limited mating times), few studies have investigated the comprehensive impacts of sperm DNA methylation on male fertility in mammals. In this study, we generated 10 sperm DNA methylomes and performed a preliminary correlation analysis between signals from sperm DNA methylation and signals from large-scale (n = 27,214) genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of 35 complex traits (including 12 male fertility-related traits). We detected genomic regions, which experienced DNA methylation alterations in sperm and were associated with aging and extreme fertility phenotypes (e.g., sire-conception rate or SCR). In dynamic hypomethylated regions (HMRs) and partially methylated domains (PMDs), we found genes (e.g., HOX gene clusters and microRNAs) that were involved in the embryonic development. We demonstrated that genomic regions, which gained rather than lost methylations during aging, and in animals with low SCR were significantly and selectively enriched for GWAS signals of male fertility traits. Our study discovered 16 genes as the potential candidate markers for male fertility, including SAMD5 and PDE5A. Collectively, this initial effort supported a hypothesis that sperm DNA methylation may contribute to male fertility in cattle and revealed the usefulness of functional annotations in enhancing biological interpretation and genomic prediction for complex traits and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingzhao Fang
- Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, BARC, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
- Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Yang Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Agricultural Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Education Ministry of China, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, China
| | - Shuli Liu
- Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, BARC, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
- Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction, Ministry of Agriculture & National Engineering Laboratory for Animal Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China
| | - Jicai Jiang
- Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Derek M. Bickhart
- Dairy Forage Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Madison, WI 53718, USA
| | - Daniel J. Null
- Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, BARC, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
| | - Bingjie Li
- Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, BARC, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
| | - Steven G. Schroeder
- Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, BARC, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
| | - Benjamin D. Rosen
- Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, BARC, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
| | - John B. Cole
- Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, BARC, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
| | - Curtis P. Van Tassell
- Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, BARC, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
| | - Li Ma
- Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
- Correspondence: (L.M.); (G.E.L.); Tel.: +1-301-405-1389 (L.M.); +1-301-504-9843 (G.E.L.); Fax: +1-301-504-8414 (G.E.L.)
| | - George E. Liu
- Animal Genomics and Improvement Laboratory, BARC, Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
- Correspondence: (L.M.); (G.E.L.); Tel.: +1-301-405-1389 (L.M.); +1-301-504-9843 (G.E.L.); Fax: +1-301-504-8414 (G.E.L.)
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10
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Costantino S, Libby P, Kishore R, Tardif JC, El-Osta A, Paneni F. Epigenetics and precision medicine in cardiovascular patients: from basic concepts to the clinical arena. Eur Heart J 2018; 39:4150-4158. [PMID: 29069341 PMCID: PMC6293269 DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehx568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Revised: 09/04/2017] [Accepted: 09/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of mortality worldwide and also inflict major burdens on morbidity, quality of life, and societal costs. Considering that CVD preventive medications improve vascular outcomes in less than half of patients (often relative risk reductions range from 12% to 20% compared with placebo), precision medicine offers an attractive approach to refine the targeting of CVD medications to responsive individuals in a population and thus allocate resources more wisely and effectively. New tools furnished by advances in basic science and translational medicine could help achieve this goal. This approach could reach beyond the practitioners 'eyeball' assessment or venerable markers derived from the physical examination and standard laboratory evaluation. Advances in genetics have identified novel pathways and targets that operate in numerous diseases, paving the way for 'precision medicine'. Yet the inherited genome determines only part of an individual's risk profile. Indeed, standard genomic approaches do not take into account the world of regulation of gene expression by modifications of the 'epi'genome. Epigenetic modifications defined as 'heritable changes to the genome that do not involve changes in DNA sequence' have emerged as a new layer of biological regulation in CVD and could advance individualized risk assessment as well as devising and deploying tailored therapies. This review, therefore, aims to acquaint the cardiovascular community with the rapidly advancing and evolving field of epigenetics and its implications in cardiovascular precision medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Costantino
- Center for Molecular Cardiology, University of Zürich, Wagistrasse 12, Schlieren, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Peter Libby
- Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Raj Kishore
- Center for Translational Medicine, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, MERB-953, 3500 N Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Pharmacology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Jean-Claude Tardif
- Montreal Health Innovations Coordinating Center (MHICC), Montreal, Canada
- Montreal Heart Institute, Université de Montréal, Montreal, Canada
| | - Assam El-Osta
- Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Hong Kong Institute of Diabetes and Obesity, Prince of Wales Hospital, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Francesco Paneni
- Center for Molecular Cardiology, University of Zürich, Wagistrasse 12, Schlieren, Zurich, Switzerland
- University Heart Center, Cardiology, University Hospital Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
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11
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Taudt A, Roquis D, Vidalis A, Wardenaar R, Johannes F, Colomé-Tatché M. METHimpute: imputation-guided construction of complete methylomes from WGBS data. BMC Genomics 2018; 19:444. [PMID: 29879918 PMCID: PMC5992726 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-018-4641-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Accepted: 04/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) has become the standard method for interrogating plant methylomes at base resolution. However, deep WGBS measurements remain cost prohibitive for large, complex genomes and for population-level studies. As a result, most published plant methylomes are sequenced far below saturation, with a large proportion of cytosines having either missing data or insufficient coverage. RESULTS Here we present METHimpute, a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) based imputation algorithm for the analysis of WGBS data. Unlike existing methods, METHimpute enables the construction of complete methylomes by inferring the methylation status and level of all cytosines in the genome regardless of coverage. Application of METHimpute to maize, rice and Arabidopsis shows that the algorithm infers cytosine-resolution methylomes with high accuracy from data as low as 6X, compared to data with 60X, thus making it a cost-effective solution for large-scale studies. CONCLUSIONS METHimpute provides methylation status calls and levels for all cytosines in the genome regardless of coverage, thus yielding complete methylomes even with low-coverage WGBS datasets. The method has been extensively tested in plants, but should also be applicable to other species. An implementation is available on Bioconductor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron Taudt
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, A. Deusinglaan 1, Groningen, NL-9713 AV The Netherlands
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, Neuherberg, 85764 Germany
| | - David Roquis
- Department of Plant Sciences, Hans Eisenmann-Zentrum for Agricultural Sciences, Technical University Munich, Liesel-Beckmann-Str. 2, Freising, 85354 Germany
| | - Amaryllis Vidalis
- Department of Plant Sciences, Hans Eisenmann-Zentrum for Agricultural Sciences, Technical University Munich, Liesel-Beckmann-Str. 2, Freising, 85354 Germany
| | - René Wardenaar
- Department of Plant Sciences, Hans Eisenmann-Zentrum for Agricultural Sciences, Technical University Munich, Liesel-Beckmann-Str. 2, Freising, 85354 Germany
| | - Frank Johannes
- Department of Plant Sciences, Hans Eisenmann-Zentrum for Agricultural Sciences, Technical University Munich, Liesel-Beckmann-Str. 2, Freising, 85354 Germany
| | - Maria Colomé-Tatché
- European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing, University of Groningen, University Medical Centre Groningen, A. Deusinglaan 1, Groningen, NL-9713 AV The Netherlands
- Institute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, Neuherberg, 85764 Germany
- TUM School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Emil-Erlenmeyer-Forum 2, Freising, 85354 Germany
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12
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Chen Y, Hong T, Wang S, Mo J, Tian T, Zhou X. Epigenetic modification of nucleic acids: from basic studies to medical applications. Chem Soc Rev 2018; 46:2844-2872. [PMID: 28352906 DOI: 10.1039/c6cs00599c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The epigenetic modification of nucleic acids represents one of the most significant areas of study in the field of nucleic acids because it makes gene regulation more complex and heredity more complicated, thus indicating its profound impact on aspects of heredity, growth, and diseases. The recent characterization of epigenetic modifications of DNA and RNA using chemical labelling strategies has promoted the discovery of these modifications, and the newly developed single-base or single-cell resolution mapping strategies have enabled large-scale epigenetic studies in eukaryotes. Due to these technological breakthroughs, several new epigenetic marks have been discovered that have greatly extended the scope and impact of epigenetic modifications in nucleic acids over the past few years. Because epigenetics is reversible and susceptible to environmental factors, it could potentially be a promising direction for clinical medicine research. In this review, we have comprehensively discussed how these epigenetic marks are involved in disease, including the pathogenesis, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease. These findings have revealed that the epigenetic modification of nucleic acids has considerable significance in various areas from methodology to clinical medicine and even in biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuqi Chen
- College of Chemistry and Molecular Sciences, Institute of Advanced Studies, Key Laboratory of Biomedical Polymers of Ministry of Education, Hubei Province Key Laboratory of Allergy and Immunology, Wuhan University, Hubei, Wuhan 430072, P. R. China.
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13
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Jones MJ, Moore SR, Kobor MS. Principles and Challenges of Applying Epigenetic Epidemiology to Psychology. Annu Rev Psychol 2018; 69:459-485. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-psych-122414-033653] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Meaghan J. Jones
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, British Columbia Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia V6H 3N1, Canada;, ,
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6H 3N1, Canada
| | - Sarah R. Moore
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, British Columbia Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia V6H 3N1, Canada;, ,
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6H 3N1, Canada
| | - Michael S. Kobor
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, British Columbia Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia V6H 3N1, Canada;, ,
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6H 3N1, Canada
- Human Early Learning Partnership, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z3, Canada
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14
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Statistical and integrative system-level analysis of DNA methylation data. Nat Rev Genet 2017; 19:129-147. [PMID: 29129922 DOI: 10.1038/nrg.2017.86] [Citation(s) in RCA: 168] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetics plays a key role in cellular development and function. Alterations to the epigenome are thought to capture and mediate the effects of genetic and environmental risk factors on complex disease. Currently, DNA methylation is the only epigenetic mark that can be measured reliably and genome-wide in large numbers of samples. This Review discusses some of the key statistical challenges and algorithms associated with drawing inferences from DNA methylation data, including cell-type heterogeneity, feature selection, reverse causation and system-level analyses that require integration with other data types such as gene expression, genotype, transcription factor binding and other epigenetic information.
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15
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Zare M, Bastami M, Solali S, Alivand MR. Aberrant miRNA promoter methylation and EMT‐involving miRNAs in breast cancer metastasis: Diagnosis and therapeutic implications. J Cell Physiol 2017; 233:3729-3744. [DOI: 10.1002/jcp.26116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2017] [Accepted: 08/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Zare
- Department of BiologyPayame Noor UniversityTehranIran
| | - Milad Bastami
- Drug Applied Research CenterTabriz University of Medical SciencesTabrizIran
- Department of Medical GeneticsFaculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical SciencesTabrizIran
| | - Saeed Solali
- Department of HematologyFaculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical SciencesTabrizIran
- Immunology Research CenterTabriz University of Medical SciencesTabrizIran
| | - Mohammad Reza Alivand
- Drug Applied Research CenterTabriz University of Medical SciencesTabrizIran
- Department of Medical GeneticsFaculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical SciencesTabrizIran
- Stem Cell Research CenterTabriz University of Medical SciencesTabrizIran
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16
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Nimmesgern E, Norstedt I, Draghia-Akli R. Enabling personalized medicine in Europe by the European Commission's funding activities. Per Med 2017; 14:355-365. [DOI: 10.2217/pme-2017-0003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Personalized medicine (PM) is an emerging approach to prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care. It helps to address the challenge of the aging of the population, an increase in chronic disease and increasing healthcare costs. The EU is developing policies to move toward PM. This is underpinned by a sustained and significant investment starting in 2010. So far, a total of €3.2 billion has been invested in PM research across the medical innovation cycle ‘from bench to bedside’. This investment has come from the research framework programs FP7 and Horizon 2020. About a third of the total investment has been made in the context of the Innovative Medicines Initiative, the largest public–private partnership in life sciences globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elmar Nimmesgern
- Directorate-General for Research & Innovation, European Commission, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Irene Norstedt
- Directorate-General for Research & Innovation, European Commission, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ruxandra Draghia-Akli
- Directorate-General for Research & Innovation, European Commission, B-1049 Brussels, Belgium
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17
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The International Human Epigenome Consortium: A Blueprint for Scientific Collaboration and Discovery. Cell 2017; 167:1145-1149. [PMID: 27863232 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 246] [Impact Index Per Article: 35.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The International Human Epigenome Consortium (IHEC) coordinates the generation of a catalog of high-resolution reference epigenomes of major primary human cell types. The studies now presented (see the Cell Press IHEC web portal at http://www.cell.com/consortium/IHEC) highlight the coordinated achievements of IHEC teams to gather and interpret comprehensive epigenomic datasets to gain insights in the epigenetic control of cell states relevant for human health and disease. PAPERCLIP.
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18
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Weaver ICG, Korgan AC, Lee K, Wheeler RV, Hundert AS, Goguen D. Stress and the Emerging Roles of Chromatin Remodeling in Signal Integration and Stable Transmission of Reversible Phenotypes. Front Behav Neurosci 2017; 11:41. [PMID: 28360846 PMCID: PMC5350110 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2017.00041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2016] [Accepted: 02/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The influence of early life experience and degree of parental-infant attachment on emotional development in children and adolescents has been comprehensively studied. Structural and mechanistic insight into the biological foundation and maintenance of mammalian defensive systems (metabolic, immune, nervous and behavioral) is slowly advancing through the emerging field of developmental molecular (epi)genetics. Initial evidence revealed that differential nurture early in life generates stable differences in offspring hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) regulation, in part, through chromatin remodeling and changes in DNA methylation of specific genes expressed in the brain, revealing physical, biochemical and molecular paths for the epidemiological concept of gene-environment interactions. Herein, a primary molecular mechanism underpinning the early developmental programming and lifelong maintenance of defensive (emotional) responses in the offspring is the alteration of chromatin domains of specific genomic regions from a condensed state (heterochromatin) to a transcriptionally accessible state (euchromatin). Conversely, DNA methylation promotes the formation of heterochromatin, which is essential for gene silencing, genomic integrity and chromosome segregation. Therefore, inter-individual differences in chromatin modifications and DNA methylation marks hold great potential for assessing the impact of both early life experience and effectiveness of intervention programs—from guided psychosocial strategies focused on changing behavior to pharmacological treatments that target chromatin remodeling and DNA methylation enzymes to dietary approaches that alter cellular pools of metabolic intermediates and methyl donors to affect nutrient bioavailability and metabolism. In this review article, we discuss the potential molecular mechanism(s) of gene regulation associated with chromatin modeling and programming of endocrine (e.g., HPA and metabolic or cardiovascular) and behavioral (e.g., fearfulness, vigilance) responses to stress, including alterations in DNA methylation and the role of DNA repair machinery. From parental history (e.g., drugs, housing, illness, nutrition, socialization) to maternal-offspring exchanges of nutrition, microbiota, antibodies and stimulation, the nature of nurture provides not only mechanistic insight into how experiences propagate from external to internal variables, but also identifies a composite therapeutic target, chromatin modeling, for gestational/prenatal stress, adolescent anxiety/depression and adult-onset neuropsychiatric disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian C G Weaver
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, and Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Austin C Korgan
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, and Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Kristen Lee
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, and Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Ryan V Wheeler
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, and Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Amos S Hundert
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, and Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Donna Goguen
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, and Department of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University Halifax, NS, Canada
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19
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Teschendorff AE, Zheng SC. Cell-type deconvolution in epigenome-wide association studies: a review and recommendations. Epigenomics 2017; 9:757-768. [PMID: 28517979 DOI: 10.2217/epi-2016-0153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 101] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
A major challenge faced by epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) is cell-type heterogeneity. As many EWAS have already demonstrated, adjusting for changes in cell-type composition can be critical when analyzing and interpreting findings from such studies. Because of their importance, a great number of different statistical algorithms, which adjust for cell-type composition, have been proposed. Some of the methods are 'reference based' in that they require a priori defined reference DNA methylation profiles of cell types that are present in the tissue of interest, while other algorithms are 'reference free.' At present, however, it is unclear how best to adjust for cell-type heterogeneity, as this may also largely depend on the type of tissue and phenotype being considered. Here, we provide a critical review of the major existing algorithms for correcting cell-type composition in the context of Illumina Infinium Methylation Beadarrays, with the aim of providing useful recommendations to the EWAS community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew E Teschendorff
- CAS Key Lab of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.,Department of Women's Cancer, University College London, 74 Huntley Street, London WC1E 6AU, UK.,Statistical Cancer Genomics, UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, 72 Huntley Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Shijie C Zheng
- CAS Key Lab of Computational Biology, CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai Institute for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
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20
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Li Y, Xu Q, Lv N, Wang L, Zhao H, Wang X, Guo J, Chen C, Li Y, Yu L. Clinical implications of genome-wide DNA methylation studies in acute myeloid leukemia. J Hematol Oncol 2017; 10:41. [PMID: 28153026 PMCID: PMC5290606 DOI: 10.1186/s13045-017-0409-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2016] [Accepted: 01/27/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the most common type of acute leukemia in adults. AML is a heterogeneous malignancy characterized by distinct genetic and epigenetic abnormalities. Recent genome-wide DNA methylation studies have highlighted an important role of dysregulated methylation signature in AML from biological and clinical standpoint. In this review, we will outline the recent advances in the methylome study of AML and overview the impacts of DNA methylation on AML diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Li
- Department of Hematology and BMT center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, China.,Department of Hematology, Hainan Branch of Chinese PLA General Hospital, Sanya, 572013, Hainan Province, China
| | - Qingyu Xu
- Department of Hematology and BMT center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, China.,Medical school of Nankai University, 94 Weijin Road, Tianjin, 300071, China
| | - Na Lv
- Department of Hematology and BMT center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Lili Wang
- Department of Hematology and BMT center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Hongmei Zhao
- Annoroad Gene Technology Co. Ltd, Beijing, 100176, China
| | - Xiuli Wang
- Annoroad Gene Technology Co. Ltd, Beijing, 100176, China
| | - Jing Guo
- Annoroad Gene Technology Co. Ltd, Beijing, 100176, China
| | - Chongjian Chen
- Annoroad Gene Technology Co. Ltd, Beijing, 100176, China
| | - Yonghui Li
- Department of Hematology and BMT center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, China
| | - Li Yu
- Department of Hematology and BMT center, Chinese PLA General Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, China.
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21
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Staševskij Z, Gibas P, Gordevičius J, Kriukienė E, Klimašauskas S. Tethered Oligonucleotide-Primed Sequencing, TOP-Seq: A High-Resolution Economical Approach for DNA Epigenome Profiling. Mol Cell 2017; 65:554-564.e6. [PMID: 28111014 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2016.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2016] [Revised: 10/13/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Modification of CG dinucleotides in DNA is part of epigenetic regulation of gene function in vertebrates and is associated with complex human disease. Bisulfite sequencing permits high-resolution analysis of cytosine modification in mammalian genomes; however, its utility is often limited due to substantial cost. Here, we describe an alternative epigenome profiling approach, named TOP-seq, which is based on covalent tagging of individual unmodified CG sites followed by non-homologous priming of the DNA polymerase action at these sites to directly produce adjoining regions for their sequencing and precise genomic mapping. Pilot TOP-seq analyses of bacterial and human genomes showed a better agreement of TOP-seq with published bisulfite sequencing maps as compared to widely used MBD-seq and MRE-seq and permitted identification of long-range and gene-level differential methylation among human tissues and neuroblastoma cell types. Altogether, we propose an affordable single CG-resolution technique well suited for large-scale epigenome studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zdislav Staševskij
- Department of Biological DNA Modification, Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius University, Vilnius LT-10257, Lithuania
| | - Povilas Gibas
- Department of Biological DNA Modification, Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius University, Vilnius LT-10257, Lithuania
| | - Juozas Gordevičius
- Department of Biological DNA Modification, Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius University, Vilnius LT-10257, Lithuania; Department of Systems Analysis, Institute of Mathematics and Informatics, Vilnius University, Vilnius LT-08663, Lithuania
| | - Edita Kriukienė
- Department of Biological DNA Modification, Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius University, Vilnius LT-10257, Lithuania.
| | - Saulius Klimašauskas
- Department of Biological DNA Modification, Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius University, Vilnius LT-10257, Lithuania.
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22
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Information recovery from low coverage whole-genome bisulfite sequencing. Nat Commun 2016; 7:11306. [PMID: 27346250 PMCID: PMC4931220 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms11306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2015] [Accepted: 03/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The cost of whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) remains a bottleneck for many studies and it is therefore imperative to extract as much information as possible from a given dataset. This is particularly important because even at the recommend 30X coverage for reference methylomes, up to 50% of high-resolution features such as differentially methylated positions (DMPs) cannot be called with current methods as determined by saturation analysis. To address this limitation, we have developed a tool that dynamically segments WGBS methylomes into blocks of comethylation (COMETs) from which lost information can be recovered in the form of differentially methylated COMETs (DMCs). Using this tool, we demonstrate recovery of ∼30% of the lost DMP information content as DMCs even at very low (5X) coverage. This constitutes twice the amount that can be recovered using an existing method based on differentially methylated regions (DMRs). In addition, we explored the relationship between COMETs and haplotypes in lymphoblastoid cell lines of African and European origin. Using best fit analysis, we show COMETs to be correlated in a population-specific manner, suggesting that this type of dynamic segmentation may be useful for integrated (epi)genome-wide association studies in the future. Here, Libertini and colleagues devise a computation tool that can analyze whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) data to recover of ∼30% of the lost differential methylation position information. They use COMETgazer and COMETvintage to analyze 13 diffferent methylome data to demonstrate their performance.
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