1
|
Wang L, Bai Y, Cao Z, Guo Z, Lian Y, Liu P, Zeng Y, Lyu W, Chen Q. Histone deacetylases and inhibitors in diabetes mellitus and its complications. Biomed Pharmacother 2024; 177:117010. [PMID: 38941890 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2024.117010] [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: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia, with its prevalence linked to both genetic predisposition and environmental factors. Epigenetic modifications, particularly through histone deacetylases (HDACs), have been recognized for their significant influence on DM pathogenesis. This review focuses on the classification of HDACs, their role in DM and its complications, and the potential therapeutic applications of HDAC inhibitors. HDACs, which modulate gene expression without altering DNA sequences, are categorized into four classes with distinct functions and tissue specificity. HDAC inhibitors (HDACi) have shown efficacy in various diseases, including DM, by targeting these enzymes. The review highlights how HDACs regulate β-cell function, insulin sensitivity, and hepatic gluconeogenesis in DM, as well as their impact on diabetic cardiomyopathy, nephropathy, and retinopathy. Finally, we suggest that targeted histone modification is expected to become a key method for the treatment of diabetes and its complications. The study of HDACi offers insights into new treatment strategies for DM and its associated complications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Li Wang
- Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610072, PR China; Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, PR China
| | - Yuning Bai
- Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, PR China
| | - Zhengmin Cao
- Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, PR China
| | - Ziwei Guo
- Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, PR China
| | - Yanjie Lian
- Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100010, PR China
| | - Pan Liu
- Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610072, PR China
| | - Yixian Zeng
- Department of Proctology, Beibei Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chongqing 400799, PR China
| | - Wenliang Lyu
- Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing 100053, PR China.
| | - Qiu Chen
- Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan Province 610072, PR China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Costa-Júnior DA, Souza Valente TN, Belisário AR, Carvalho GQ, Madeira M, Velloso-Rodrigues C. Association of ZBTB38 gene polymorphism (rs724016) with height and fetal hemoglobin in individuals with sickle cell anemia. Mol Genet Metab Rep 2024; 39:101086. [PMID: 38800625 PMCID: PMC11127270 DOI: 10.1016/j.ymgmr.2024.101086] [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: 01/09/2024] [Revised: 04/18/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Objectives Our study evaluated the association of the polymorphism rs724016 in the ZBTB38 gene, previously associated with height in other populations, with predictors of height, clinical outcomes, and laboratory parameters in sickle cell anemia (SCA). Methods Cross-sectional study with individuals with SCA and aged between 3 and 20 years. Clinical, laboratory, molecular, and bone age (BA) data were evaluated. Levels of IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 were adjusted for BA, target height (TH) was calculated as the mean parental height standard deviation score (SDS), and predicted adult height (PAH) SDS was calculated using BA. Results We evaluated 80 individuals with SCA. The homozygous genotype of the G allele of rs724016 was associated with a lower height SDS (p < 0.001) and, in a additive genetic model, was negatively associated with HbF levels (p = 0.016). Lower adjusted IGF-1 levels were associated with co-inheritance of alpha-thalassemia and with the absence of HU therapy. Elevated HbF levels were associated with a lower deficit in adjusted growth potential (TH minus PAH). Conclusion Our analysis shows that SNP rs724016 in the ZBTB38 is associated with shorter height and lower HbF levels, an important modifier of SCA.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Domício Antônio Costa-Júnior
- Department of Medicine, Federal University of Juiz de Fora - Governador Valadares Campus (UFJF-GV), Minas Gerais (MG), Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Miguel Madeira
- Division of Endocrinology, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | | |
Collapse
|
3
|
Policarpi C, Munafò M, Tsagkris S, Carlini V, Hackett JA. Systematic epigenome editing captures the context-dependent instructive function of chromatin modifications. Nat Genet 2024; 56:1168-1180. [PMID: 38724747 PMCID: PMC11176084 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-024-01706-w] [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: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Chromatin modifications are linked with regulating patterns of gene expression, but their causal role and context-dependent impact on transcription remains unresolved. Here we develop a modular epigenome editing platform that programs nine key chromatin modifications, or combinations thereof, to precise loci in living cells. We couple this with single-cell readouts to systematically quantitate the magnitude and heterogeneity of transcriptional responses elicited by each specific chromatin modification. Among these, we show that installing histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation (H3K4me3) at promoters can causally instruct transcription by hierarchically remodeling the chromatin landscape. We further dissect how DNA sequence motifs influence the transcriptional impact of chromatin marks, identifying switch-like and attenuative effects within distinct cis contexts. Finally, we examine the interplay of combinatorial modifications, revealing that co-targeted H3K27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) and H2AK119 monoubiquitination (H2AK119ub) maximizes silencing penetrance across single cells. Our precision-perturbation strategy unveils the causal principles of how chromatin modification(s) influence transcription and dissects how quantitative responses are calibrated by contextual interactions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Policarpi
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Rome, Italy
| | - Marzia Munafò
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Rome, Italy
| | - Stylianos Tsagkris
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Rome, Italy
| | - Valentina Carlini
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Rome, Italy
- Faculty of Biosciences, EMBL and Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jamie A Hackett
- Epigenetics and Neurobiology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Rome, Italy.
- Genome Biology Unit, EMBL, Heidelberg, Germany.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
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.
Collapse
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.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Delgado D, Gillard M, Tong L, Demanelis K, Oliva M, Gleason KJ, Chernoff M, Chen L, Paner GP, Vander Griend D, Pierce BL. The Impact of Inherited Genetic Variation on DNA Methylation in Prostate Cancer and Benign Tissues of African American and European American Men. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024; 33:557-566. [PMID: 38294689 PMCID: PMC10990789 DOI: 10.1158/1055-9965.epi-23-0849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND American men of African ancestry (AA) have higher prostate cancer incidence and mortality rates compared with American men of European ancestry (EA). Differences in genetic susceptibility mechanisms may contribute to this disparity. METHODS To gain insights into the regulatory mechanisms of prostate cancer susceptibility variants, we tested the association between SNPs and DNA methylation (DNAm) at nearby CpG sites across the genome in benign and cancer prostate tissue from 74 AA and 74 EA men. Genome-wide SNP data (from benign tissue) and DNAm were generated using Illumina arrays. RESULTS Among AA men, we identified 6,298 and 2,641 cis-methylation QTLs (meQTL; FDR of 0.05) in benign and tumor tissue, respectively, with 6,960 and 1,700 detected in EA men. We leveraged genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics to identify previously reported prostate cancer GWAS signals likely to share a common causal variant with a detected meQTL. We identified nine GWAS-meQTL pairs with strong evidence of colocalization (four in EA benign, three in EA tumor, two in AA benign, and three in AA tumor). Among these colocalized GWAS-meQTL pairs, we identified colocalizing expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) impacting four eGenes with known roles in tumorigenesis. CONCLUSIONS These findings highlight epigenetic regulatory mechanisms by which prostate cancer-risk SNPs can modify local DNAm and/or gene expression in prostate tissue. IMPACT Overall, our findings showed general consistency in the meQTL landscape of AA and EA men, but meQTLs often differ by tissue type (normal vs. cancer). Ancestry-based linkage disequilibrium differences and lack of AA representation in GWAS decrease statistical power to detect colocalization for some regions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dayana Delgado
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
| | - Marc Gillard
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
| | - Lin Tong
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
| | - Kathryn Demanelis
- Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA 15261
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, PA 15232
| | - Meritxell Oliva
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
- Genomics Research Center, AbbVie, North Chicago, IL 60064
| | | | - Meytal Chernoff
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
- Interdisciplinary Scientist Training Program, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA
- University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Lin Chen
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
| | - Gladell P. Paner
- Department of Pathology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
| | - Donald Vander Griend
- Department of Pathology, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60607
- The University of Illinois Cancer Center, Chicago, IL
| | - Brandon L. Pierce
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
- Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60615
- Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Yagound B, Sarma RR, Edwards RJ, Richardson MF, Rodriguez Lopez CM, Crossland MR, Brown GP, DeVore JL, Shine R, Rollins LA. Is developmental plasticity triggered by DNA methylation changes in the invasive cane toad ( Rhinella marina)? Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11127. [PMID: 38450317 PMCID: PMC10917582 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Many organisms can adjust their development according to environmental conditions, including the presence of conspecifics. Although this developmental plasticity is common in amphibians, its underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. Exposure during development to either 'cannibal cues' from older conspecifics, or 'alarm cues' from injured conspecifics, causes reduced growth and survival in cane toad (Rhinella marina) tadpoles. Epigenetic modifications, such as changes in DNA methylation patterns, are a plausible mechanism underlying these developmental plastic responses. Here we tested this hypothesis, and asked whether cannibal cues and alarm cues trigger the same DNA methylation changes in developing cane toads. We found that exposure to both cannibal cues and alarm cues was associated with local changes in DNA methylation patterns. These DNA methylation changes affected genes putatively involved in developmental processes, but in different genomic regions for different conspecific-derived cues. Genetic background explains most of the epigenetic variation among individuals. Overall, the molecular mechanisms triggered by exposure to cannibal cues seem to differ from those triggered by alarm cues. Studies linking epigenetic modifications to transcriptional activity are needed to clarify the proximate mechanisms that regulate developmental plasticity in cane toads.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Boris Yagound
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Roshmi R. Sarma
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental SciencesDeakin UniversityGeelongVictoriaAustralia
| | - Richard J. Edwards
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biotechnology and Biomedical SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
- Minderoo OceanOmics Centre at UWA, Oceans InstituteDeakin UniversityGeelongVictoriaAustralia
| | - Mark F. Richardson
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental SciencesDeakin UniversityGeelongVictoriaAustralia
- Minderoo OceanOmics Centre at UWA, Oceans InstituteDeakin UniversityGeelongVictoriaAustralia
- Deakin Genomics Research and Discovery FacilityDeakin University, Locked BagGeelongVICAustralia
| | - Carlos M. Rodriguez Lopez
- Deakin Genomics Research and Discovery FacilityDeakin University, Locked BagGeelongVICAustralia
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research InstituteThe University of AdelaideGlen OsmondSouth AustraliaAustralia
- Environmental Epigenetics and Genetics Group, Department of HorticultureCollege of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of KentuckyLexingtonKentuckyUSA
| | - Michael R. Crossland
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research InstituteThe University of AdelaideGlen OsmondSouth AustraliaAustralia
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Gregory P. Brown
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research InstituteThe University of AdelaideGlen OsmondSouth AustraliaAustralia
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
- Department of Biological SciencesMacquarie UniversitySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Jayna L. DeVore
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research InstituteThe University of AdelaideGlen OsmondSouth AustraliaAustralia
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
- UMR 241 EIOUniversity of French Polynesia, IFREMER, ILM, IRDFaa’aTahitiFrench Polynesia
| | - Richard Shine
- School of Agriculture, Food and Wine, Waite Research InstituteThe University of AdelaideGlen OsmondSouth AustraliaAustralia
- School of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
- Department of Biological SciencesMacquarie UniversitySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Lee A. Rollins
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental SciencesDeakin UniversityGeelongVictoriaAustralia
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Casazza W, Inkster AM, Del Gobbo GF, Yuan V, Delahaye F, Marsit C, Park YP, Robinson WP, Mostafavi S, Dennis JK. Sex-dependent placental methylation quantitative trait loci provide insight into the prenatal origins of childhood onset traits and conditions. iScience 2024; 27:109047. [PMID: 38357671 PMCID: PMC10865402 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2022] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Molecular quantitative trait loci (QTLs) allow us to understand the biology captured in genome-wide association studies (GWASs). The placenta regulates fetal development and shows sex differences in DNA methylation. We therefore hypothesized that placental methylation QTL (mQTL) explain variation in genetic risk for childhood onset traits, and that effects differ by sex. We analyzed 411 term placentas from two studies and found 49,252 methylation (CpG) sites with mQTL and 2,489 CpG sites with sex-dependent mQTL. All mQTL were enriched in regions that typically affect gene expression in prenatal tissues. All mQTL were also enriched in GWAS results for growth- and immune-related traits, but male- and female-specific mQTL were more enriched than cross-sex mQTL. mQTL colocalized with trait loci at 777 CpG sites, with 216 (28%) specific to males or females. Overall, mQTL specific to male and female placenta capture otherwise overlooked variation in childhood traits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- William Casazza
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Bioinformatics Graduate Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Amy M. Inkster
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Giulia F. Del Gobbo
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Victor Yuan
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | | | - Carmen Marsit
- Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Yongjin P. Park
- Department of Statistics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Wendy P. Robinson
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Sara Mostafavi
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Paul Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jessica K. Dennis
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics, BC Children’s Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Bioinformatics Graduate Program, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Li R, Wan D, Liang J, Liang H, Huang H, Li G. Pan-cancer analysis of promoter activity quantitative trait loci. NAR Cancer 2023; 5:zcad053. [PMID: 38023732 PMCID: PMC10644876 DOI: 10.1093/narcan/zcad053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/31/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Altered promoter activity has been generally observed in diverse biological processes, including tumorigenesis. Accumulating evidence suggests that employing a quantitative trait locus mapping approach is effective in comprehending the genetic basis of promoter activity. By utilizing genotype data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and calculating corresponding promoter activity values using proActiv, we systematically evaluated the impact of genetic variants on promoter activity and identified >1.0 million promoter activity quantitative trait loci (paQTLs) as both cis- and trans-acting. Additionally, leveraging data from the genome-wide association study (GWAS) catalog, we discovered >1.3 million paQTLs that overlap with known GWAS linkage disequilibrium regions. Remarkably, ∼9324 paQTLs exhibited significant associations with patient prognosis. Moreover, investigating the impact of promoter activity on >1000 imputed antitumor therapy responses among pan-cancer patients revealed >43 000 million significant associations. Furthermore, ∼25 000 significant associations were identified between promoter activity and immune cell abundance. Finally, a user-friendly data portal, Pancan-paQTL (https://www.hbpding.com/PancanPaQTL/), was constructed for users to browse, search and download data of interest. Pancan-paQTL serves as a comprehensive multidimensional database, enabling functional and clinical investigations into genetic variants associated with promoter activity, drug responses and immune infiltration across multiple cancer types.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ran Li
- Department of Neurosurgery, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430000, China
| | - Dongyi Wan
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430000, China
| | - Junnan Liang
- Hepatic Surgery Center and Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430000, China
| | - Huifang Liang
- Hepatic Surgery Center and Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430000, China
| | - Haohao Huang
- Department of Neurosurgery, General Hospital of Central Theatre Command of People’s Liberation Army, Wuhan, Hubei, 430000, China
| | - Ganxun Li
- Hepatic Surgery Center and Hubei Key Laboratory of Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Diseases, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei, 430000, China
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Zou M, Liang Q, Zhang W, Zhu Y, Xu Y. Endoplasmic reticulum stress related genome-wide Mendelian randomization identifies therapeutic genes for ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Front Genet 2023; 14:1270085. [PMID: 37860672 PMCID: PMC10583552 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1270085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) is an important pathophysiological mechanism in ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn's disease (CD). ERS-related genes may be influenced by genetic factors and intestinal inflammation. However, the role of ERS as a trigger or potential etiological factor for UC and CD is unclear, as the expression of ERS-related genes in UC and CD may be the cause or subsequent changes in intestinal inflammation. Here, we used a three-step summary data-based Mendelian randomization (SMR) approach integrating multi-omics data to identify putative causal effects of ERS-related genes in UC and CD. Methods: Genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary data for UC (6,968 cases and 20,464 controls) and CD (5,956 cases and 14,927 controls) were extracted as outcome, and DNA methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTL, 1,980 participants) data and expression QTL data (eQTL, 31,684 participants) from the blood were obtained as exposure. The ERS-related genes were extracted from the GeneCards database, and then the GWAS summary data were integrated with the mQTL and eQTL data associated with ERS genes by SMR. Sensitivity analysis included two-sample MR analysis, power calculations, Bayesian co-localization analysis, and phenotype scanning were performed to evaluate the robustness of the results. Results: A total of 1,193 ERS-related genes were obtained. The three-step SMR analysis showed that cg24011261 CpG site regulating GPX1 expression was associated with a low risk of UC, whereas GPX1 expression regulated by a combination of cg05055782, cg24011261, and cg05551922 CpG sites was associated with a low risk of CD. Sensitivity analysis further supports these findings. Conclusion: This multi-omics integration study identifies a causal relationship between the role of ERS in UC and CD and suggests potential new therapeutic targets for clinical practice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Menglong Zou
- The First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Qiaoli Liang
- Zhuhai Second Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Zhuhai, Guangdong, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- The First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Ying Zhu
- The First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
| | - Yin Xu
- The First Hospital of Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, Changsha, Hunan, China
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Füllgrabe J, Gosal WS, Creed P, Liu S, Lumby CK, Morley DJ, Ost TWB, Vilella AJ, Yu S, Bignell H, Burns P, Charlesworth T, Fu B, Fordham H, Harding NJ, Gandelman O, Golder P, Hodson C, Li M, Lila M, Liu Y, Mason J, Mellad J, Monahan JM, Nentwich O, Palmer A, Steward M, Taipale M, Vandomme A, San-Bento RS, Singhal A, Vivian J, Wójtowicz N, Williams N, Walker NJ, Wong NCH, Yalloway GN, Holbrook JD, Balasubramanian S. Simultaneous sequencing of genetic and epigenetic bases in DNA. Nat Biotechnol 2023; 41:1457-1464. [PMID: 36747096 PMCID: PMC10567558 DOI: 10.1038/s41587-022-01652-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
DNA comprises molecular information stored in genetic and epigenetic bases, both of which are vital to our understanding of biology. Most DNA sequencing approaches address either genetics or epigenetics and thus capture incomplete information. Methods widely used to detect epigenetic DNA bases fail to capture common C-to-T mutations or distinguish 5-methylcytosine from 5-hydroxymethylcytosine. We present a single base-resolution sequencing methodology that sequences complete genetics and the two most common cytosine modifications in a single workflow. DNA is copied and bases are enzymatically converted. Coupled decoding of bases across the original and copy strand provides a phased digital readout. Methods are demonstrated on human genomic DNA and cell-free DNA from a blood sample of a patient with cancer. The approach is accurate, requires low DNA input and has a simple workflow and analysis pipeline. Simultaneous, phased reading of genetic and epigenetic bases provides a more complete picture of the information stored in genomes and has applications throughout biomedicine.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jens Füllgrabe
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Walraj S Gosal
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Páidí Creed
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sidong Liu
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Casper K Lumby
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - David J Morley
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tobias W B Ost
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Albert J Vilella
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Shirong Yu
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Helen Bignell
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Philippa Burns
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tom Charlesworth
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Beiyuan Fu
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Howerd Fordham
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nicolas J Harding
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Olga Gandelman
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Paula Golder
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Christopher Hodson
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Mengjie Li
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Marjana Lila
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Yang Liu
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Joanne Mason
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jason Mellad
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jack M Monahan
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Oliver Nentwich
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Alexandra Palmer
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Michael Steward
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Minna Taipale
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Audrey Vandomme
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Rita Santo San-Bento
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ankita Singhal
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Julia Vivian
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Natalia Wójtowicz
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nathan Williams
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nicolas J Walker
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nicola C H Wong
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Gary N Yalloway
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Joanna D Holbrook
- Cambridge Epigenetix Ltd, The Trinity Building, Chesterford Research Park, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Shankar Balasubramanian
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Yusuf Hamied Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Li G, Zhu J, Zhai L. Exploring molecular markers and drug candidates for colorectal cancer through comprehensive bioinformatics analysis. Aging (Albany NY) 2023; 15:7038-7055. [PMID: 37466419 PMCID: PMC10415558 DOI: 10.18632/aging.204891] [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: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) often has a poor prognosis and identifying useful and novel agents for treating CRC is urgently required. This study aimed to examine molecular markers associated with CRC prognosis and to identify potential drug candidates. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of CRC in TCGA were identified. The genes associated with CRC, summarized from NCBI-gene, OMIM, and the DEGs, were used to construct a co-expression network by WGCNA. Moreover, the co-expression genes from modules of interest were used to carry out functional enrichment. A total of 2742 DEGs, including 1674 upregulated and 1068 downregulated genes, were identified. Thirteen co-expression modules were constructed with WGCNA. Brown and blue co-expression modules with significant differences in disease phenotype were found. Functional enrichment analysis showed that genes in the brown module were mainly related to cell cycle, cell proliferation, DNA replication, and RNA transport. The genes in the blue module were mainly associated with fatty acid degradation, sulfur metabolism, PPAR signaling pathway and bile secretion. In addition, both the genes in brown and blue were associated with tumor staging. Some prognostic markers and candidate small molecules drugs for CRC treatment were identified. In conclusion, we revealed molecular biomarker profiles in CRC by systematic bioinformatics analysis, constructed regulatory networks of mRNA, ncRNA and transcriptional regulators (TFs), and identified potential drugs targeting hub proteins and TFs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guangyao Li
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second People’s Hospital of Wuhu, Wuhu, Anhui, People’s Republic of China
| | - JiangPeng Zhu
- Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, The Second People’s Hospital of Wuhu, Wuhu, Anhui, People’s Republic of China
| | - Lulu Zhai
- Department of General Surgery, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, Hubei, People’s Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Xu H, Lin S, Zhou Z, Li D, Zhang X, Yu M, Zhao R, Wang Y, Qian J, Li X, Li B, Wei C, Chen K, Yoshimura T, Wang JM, Huang J. New genetic and epigenetic insights into the chemokine system: the latest discoveries aiding progression toward precision medicine. Cell Mol Immunol 2023:10.1038/s41423-023-01032-x. [PMID: 37198402 DOI: 10.1038/s41423-023-01032-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the past thirty years, the importance of chemokines and their seven-transmembrane G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) has been increasingly recognized. Chemokine interactions with receptors trigger signaling pathway activity to form a network fundamental to diverse immune processes, including host homeostasis and responses to disease. Genetic and nongenetic regulation of both the expression and structure of chemokines and receptors conveys chemokine functional heterogeneity. Imbalances and defects in the system contribute to the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases, including cancer, immune and inflammatory diseases, and metabolic and neurological disorders, which render the system a focus of studies aiming to discover therapies and important biomarkers. The integrated view of chemokine biology underpinning divergence and plasticity has provided insights into immune dysfunction in disease states, including, among others, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this review, by reporting the latest advances in chemokine biology and results from analyses of a plethora of sequencing-based datasets, we outline recent advances in the understanding of the genetic variations and nongenetic heterogeneity of chemokines and receptors and provide an updated view of their contribution to the pathophysiological network, focusing on chemokine-mediated inflammation and cancer. Clarification of the molecular basis of dynamic chemokine-receptor interactions will help advance the understanding of chemokine biology to achieve precision medicine application in the clinic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hanli Xu
- College of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, School of Physical Science and Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, 3 ShangyuanCun, Haidian District, 100044, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Shuye Lin
- Cancer Research Center, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Institute, 101149, Beijing, China
| | - Ziyun Zhou
- College of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, School of Physical Science and Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, 3 ShangyuanCun, Haidian District, 100044, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Duoduo Li
- College of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, School of Physical Science and Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, 3 ShangyuanCun, Haidian District, 100044, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Xiting Zhang
- College of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, School of Physical Science and Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, 3 ShangyuanCun, Haidian District, 100044, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Muhan Yu
- College of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, School of Physical Science and Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, 3 ShangyuanCun, Haidian District, 100044, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Ruoyi Zhao
- College of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, School of Physical Science and Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, 3 ShangyuanCun, Haidian District, 100044, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Yiheng Wang
- College of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, School of Physical Science and Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, 3 ShangyuanCun, Haidian District, 100044, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Junru Qian
- College of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, School of Physical Science and Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, 3 ShangyuanCun, Haidian District, 100044, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Xinyi Li
- College of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, School of Physical Science and Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, 3 ShangyuanCun, Haidian District, 100044, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Bohan Li
- College of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, School of Physical Science and Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, 3 ShangyuanCun, Haidian District, 100044, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Chuhan Wei
- College of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, School of Physical Science and Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, 3 ShangyuanCun, Haidian District, 100044, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Keqiang Chen
- Laboratory of Cancer Innovation, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Teizo Yoshimura
- Laboratory of Cancer Innovation, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Ji Ming Wang
- Laboratory of Cancer Innovation, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA
| | - Jiaqiang Huang
- College of Life Sciences and Bioengineering, School of Physical Science and Engineering, Beijing Jiaotong University, 3 ShangyuanCun, Haidian District, 100044, Beijing, P.R. China.
- Cancer Research Center, Beijing Chest Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing Tuberculosis and Thoracic Tumor Institute, 101149, Beijing, China.
- Laboratory of Cancer Innovation, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Higham J, Kerr L, Zhang Q, Walker RM, Harris SE, Howard DM, Hawkins EL, Sandu AL, Steele JD, Waiter GD, Murray AD, Evans KL, McIntosh AM, Visscher PM, Deary IJ, Cox SR, Sproul D. Local CpG density affects the trajectory and variance of age-associated DNA methylation changes. Genome Biol 2022; 23:216. [PMID: 36253871 PMCID: PMC9575273 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-022-02787-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND DNA methylation is an epigenetic mark associated with the repression of gene promoters. Its pattern in the genome is disrupted with age and these changes can be used to statistically predict age with epigenetic clocks. Altered rates of aging inferred from these clocks are observed in human disease. However, the molecular mechanisms underpinning age-associated DNA methylation changes remain unknown. Local DNA sequence can program steady-state DNA methylation levels, but how it influences age-associated methylation changes is unknown. RESULTS We analyze longitudinal human DNA methylation trajectories at 345,895 CpGs from 600 individuals aged between 67 and 80 to understand the factors responsible for age-associated epigenetic changes at individual CpGs. We show that changes in methylation with age occur at 182,760 loci largely independently of variation in cell type proportions. These changes are especially apparent at 8322 low CpG density loci. Using SNP data from the same individuals, we demonstrate that methylation trajectories are affected by local sequence polymorphisms at 1487 low CpG density loci. More generally, we find that low CpG density regions are particularly prone to change and do so variably between individuals in people aged over 65. This differs from the behavior of these regions in younger individuals where they predominantly lose methylation. CONCLUSIONS Our results, which we reproduce in two independent groups of individuals, demonstrate that local DNA sequence influences age-associated DNA methylation changes in humans in vivo. We suggest that this occurs because interactions between CpGs reinforce maintenance of methylation patterns in CpG dense regions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Higham
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Lyndsay Kerr
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Qian Zhang
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Present address: Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, UK
| | - Rosie M Walker
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Present address: School of Psychology, University of Exeter, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sarah E Harris
- Department of Psychology, Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - David M Howard
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Emma L Hawkins
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Anca-Larisa Sandu
- Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - J Douglas Steele
- Division of Imaging Science and Technology, Medical School, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK
| | - Gordon D Waiter
- Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Alison D Murray
- Aberdeen Biomedical Imaging Centre, Institute of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Kathryn L Evans
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Andrew M McIntosh
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Peter M Visscher
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Ian J Deary
- Department of Psychology, Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Simon R Cox
- Department of Psychology, Lothian Birth Cohorts Group, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Duncan Sproul
- MRC Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
- CRUK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Tomaszewski M, Morris AP, Howson JMM, Franceschini N, Eales JM, Xu X, Dikalov S, Guzik TJ, Humphreys BD, Harrap S, Charchar FJ. Kidney omics in hypertension: from statistical associations to biological mechanisms and clinical applications. Kidney Int 2022; 102:492-505. [PMID: 35690124 PMCID: PMC9886011 DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2022.04.045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2021] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Hypertension is a major cardiovascular disease risk factor and contributor to premature death globally. Family-based investigations confirmed a significant heritable component of blood pressure (BP), whereas genome-wide association studies revealed >1000 common and rare genetic variants associated with BP and/or hypertension. The kidney is not only an organ of key relevance to BP regulation and the development of hypertension, but it also acts as the tissue mediator of genetic predisposition to hypertension. The identity of kidney genes, pathways, and related mechanisms underlying the genetic associations with BP has started to emerge through integration of genomics with kidney transcriptomics, epigenomics, and other omics as well as through applications of causal inference, such as Mendelian randomization. Single-cell methods further enabled mapping of BP-associated kidney genes to cell types, and in conjunction with other omics, started to illuminate the biological mechanisms underpinning associations of BP-associated genetic variants and kidney genes. Polygenic risk scores derived from genome-wide association studies and refined on kidney omics hold the promise of enhanced diagnostic prediction, whereas kidney omics-informed drug discovery is likely to contribute new therapeutic opportunities for hypertension and hypertension-mediated kidney damage.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maciej Tomaszewski
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK; Manchester Heart Centre and Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK.
| | - Andrew P Morris
- Centre for Genetics and Genomics Versus Arthritis, Centre for Musculoskeletal Research, Division of Musculoskeletal and Dermatological Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Joanna M M Howson
- Department of Genetics, Novo Nordisk Research Centre Oxford, Novo Nordisk Ltd, Oxford, UK
| | - Nora Franceschini
- Department of Epidemiology, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA
| | - James M Eales
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Xiaoguang Xu
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Sergey Dikalov
- Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Tomasz J Guzik
- Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK; Department of Internal and Agricultural Medicine, Jagiellonian University College of Medicine, Kraków, Poland
| | - Benjamin D Humphreys
- Division of Nephrology, Department of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
| | - Stephen Harrap
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Fadi J Charchar
- Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Health Innovation and Transformation Centre, School of Science, Psychology and Sport, Federation University Australia, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia; Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Fu YL, Wu YH, Cao DH, Jia ZF, Shen A, Jiang J, Cao XY. Increased 5-hydroxymethylcytosine is a favorable prognostic factor of Helicobacter pylori-negative gastric cancer patients. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2022; 14:1295-1306. [PMID: 36051102 PMCID: PMC9305580 DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v14.i7.1295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 05/28/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Most gastric cancer (GC) patients are diagnosed at middle or late stage because the symptoms in early stage are obscure, which causes higher mortality rates of GC. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) was identified as a class I carcinogen and leads to aberrant DNA methylation/hydroxymethylation. 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) plays complex roles in gene regulation of tumorigenesis and can be considered as an activating epigenetic mark of hydroxymethylation.
AIM To explore the association between 5-hmC levels and the progression and prognosis of GC patients with or without H. pylori infection.
METHODS A retrospective cohort study was conducted to estimate the predicted value of 5-hmC level in the progression and prognosis of GC patients with different H. pylori infection status. A total of 144 GC patients were recruited.
RESULTS The levels of 5-hmC were significantly decreased in tumor tissues (0.076 ± 0.048) compared with the matched control tissues (0.110 ± 0.057, P = 0.001). A high level of 5-hmC was an independent significant favorable predictor of overall survival in GC patients (hazard ratio = 0.61, 95% confidence interval: 0.38-0.98, P = 0.040), the H. pylori-negative GC subgroup (hazard ratio = 0.30, 95% confidence interval: 0.13-0.68, P = 0.004) and the GC patients with TNM stage Ⅰ or Ⅱ (hazard ratio = 0.32, 95% confidence interval: 0.13-0.77, P = 0.011).
CONCLUSION Increased 5-hmC is a favorable prognostic factor in GC, especially for H. pylori-negative subgroups.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ying-Li Fu
- Division of Clinical Research, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130000, Jilin Province, China
| | - Yan-Hua Wu
- Division of Clinical Research, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130000, Jilin Province, China
| | - Dong-Hui Cao
- Division of Clinical Research, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130000, Jilin Province, China
| | - Zhi-Fang Jia
- Division of Clinical Research, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130000, Jilin Province, China
| | - Ao Shen
- Department of Gastric and Colorectal Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130000, Jilin Province, China
| | - Jing Jiang
- Division of Clinical Research, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130000, Jilin Province, China
| | - Xue-Yuan Cao
- Department of Gastric and Colorectal Surgery, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130000, Jilin Province, China
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
PTBP2 - a gene with relevance for both Anorexia nervosa and body weight regulation. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:241. [PMID: 35680849 PMCID: PMC9184595 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02018-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 05/23/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic factors are relevant for both eating disorders and body weight regulation. A recent genome-wide association study (GWAS) for anorexia nervosa (AN) detected eight genome-wide significant chromosomal loci. One of these loci, rs10747478, was also genome-wide and significantly associated with body mass index (BMI). The nearest coding gene is the Polypyrimidine Tract Binding Protein 2 gene (PTBP2). To detect mutations in PTBP2, Sanger sequencing of the coding region was performed in 192 female patients with AN (acute or recovered) and 191 children or adolescents with (extreme) obesity. Twenty-five variants were identified. Twenty-three of these were predicted to be pathogenic or functionally relevant in at least one in silico tool. Two novel synonymous variants (p.Ala77Ala and p.Asp195Asp), one intronic SNP (rs188987764), and the intronic deletion (rs561340981) located in the highly conserved region of PTBP2 may have functional consequences. Ten of 20 genes interacting with PTBP2 were studied for their impact on body weight regulation based on either previous functional studies or GWAS hits for body weight or BMI. In a GWAS for BMI (Pulit et al. 2018), the number of genome-wide significant associations at the PTBP2 locus was different between males (60 variants) and females (two variants, one of these also significant in males). More than 65% of these 61 variants showed differences in the effect size pertaining to BMI between sexes (absolute value of Z-score >2, two-sided p < 0.05). One LD block overlapping 5'UTR and all coding regions of PTBP2 comprises 56 significant variants in males. The analysis based on sex-stratified BMI GWAS summary statistics implies that PTBP2 may have a more pronounced effect on body weight regulation in males than in females.
Collapse
|
17
|
Zhang T, Klein A, Sang J, Choi J, Brown KM. ezQTL: A Web Platform for Interactive Visualization and Colocalization of QTLs and GWAS Loci. GENOMICS, PROTEOMICS & BIOINFORMATICS 2022; 20:541-548. [PMID: 35643189 PMCID: PMC9801033 DOI: 10.1016/j.gpb.2022.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/08/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified thousands of genomic loci associated with complex diseases and traits, including cancer. The vast majority of common trait-associated variants identified via GWAS fall in non-coding regions of the genome, posing a challenge in elucidating the causal variants, genes, and mechanisms involved. Expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) and other molecular QTL studies have been valuable resources in identifying candidate causal genes from GWAS loci through statistical colocalization methods. While QTL colocalization is becoming a standard analysis in post-GWAS investigation, an easy web tool for users to perform formal colocalization analyses with either user-provided or public GWAS and eQTL datasets has been lacking. Here, we present ezQTL, a web-based bioinformatic application to interactively visualize and analyze genetic association data such as GWAS loci and molecular QTLs under different linkage disequilibrium (LD) patterns (1000 Genomes Project, UK Biobank, or user-provided data). This application allows users to perform data quality control for variants matched between different datasets, LD visualization, and two-trait colocalization analyses using two state-of-the-art methodologies (eCAVIAR and HyPrColoc), including batch processing. ezQTL is a free and publicly available cross-platform web tool, which can be accessed online at https://analysistools.cancer.gov/ezqtl.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tongwu Zhang
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Alyssa Klein
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jian Sang
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jiyeon Choi
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| | - Kevin M Brown
- Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Udayar V, Chen Y, Sidransky E, Jagasia R. Lysosomal dysfunction in neurodegeneration: emerging concepts and methods. Trends Neurosci 2022; 45:184-199. [PMID: 35034773 PMCID: PMC8854344 DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2021.12.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/12/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The understanding of lysosomes has come a long way since the initial discovery of their role in degrading cellular waste. The lysosome is now recognized as a highly dynamic organelle positioned at the crossroads of cell signaling, transcription, and metabolism. Underscoring its importance is the observation that, in addition to rare monogenic lysosomal storage disorders, genes regulating lysosomal function are implicated in common sporadic neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Developing therapies for these disorders is particularly challenging, largely due to gaps in knowledge of the underlying molecular and cellular processes. In this review, we discuss technological advances that have propelled deeper understanding of the lysosome in neurodegeneration, from elucidating the functions of lysosome-related disease risk variants at the level of the organelle, cell, and tissue, to the development of disease-specific biological models that recapitulate disease manifestations. Finally, we identify key questions to be addressed to successfully bridge the gap to the clinic.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vinod Udayar
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Neuroscience and Rare Diseases Discovery & Translational Area, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Basel, Switzerland
| | - Yu Chen
- Medical Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ellen Sidransky
- Medical Genetics Branch, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
| | - Ravi Jagasia
- Roche Pharmaceutical Research and Early Development, Neuroscience and Rare Diseases Discovery & Translational Area, Roche Innovation Center Basel, F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd., Basel, Switzerland.
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Schnurr TM, Ängquist L, Nøhr EA, Hansen T, Sørensen TIA, Morgen CS. Smoking during pregnancy is associated with child overweight independent of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and genetic predisposition to adiposity. Sci Rep 2022; 12:3135. [PMID: 35210505 PMCID: PMC8873398 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07122-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
High maternal body mass index (BMI) and smoking during pregnancy are risk factors for child overweight. Maternal smoking tends to reduce her BMI and the association of smoking with child overweight may be confounded by or interacting with maternal genetic predisposition to adiposity. In the Danish National Birth Cohort, we investigated whether smoking during pregnancy is associated with child BMI/overweight independent of pre-pregnancy BMI and maternal genetic predisposition to adiposity estimated as total, transmitted and non-transmitted genetic risk scores (GRSs) based on 941 common genetic variants associated with BMI. Smoking during pregnancy was associated with higher child BMI and higher odds of child overweight in a dose–response relationship. The odds ratio (95% CI) for smoking 11 + cigarettes in third trimester versus no smoking was 2.42 (1.30; 4.50), irrespective of maternal BMI and maternal GRSs (total, transmitted or non-transmitted). There were no statistically significant interactions between maternal GRSs and smoking (all p-values for interactions > 0.05). In conclusion, in this study, smoking during pregnancy exhibits a dose–response association with increased child BMI/overweight, independent of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, maternal transmitted, and non-transmitted genetic predisposition to adiposity. Avoidance of smoking during pregnancy may help prevent childhood obesity irrespective of the mother–child genetic predisposition.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Theresia M Schnurr
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Lars Ängquist
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ellen Aagaard Nøhr
- Research Unit for Gynecology and Obstetrics, Department of Clinical Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Torben Hansen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Thorkild I A Sørensen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Department of Public Health, Section of Epidemiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Camilla S Morgen
- Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B, 2200, Copenhagen, Denmark. .,Department of Public Health, Section of Epidemiology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. .,National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark.
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Silver MJ, Saffari A, Kessler NJ, Chandak GR, Fall CHD, Issarapu P, Dedaniya A, Betts M, Moore SE, Routledge MN, Herceg Z, Cuenin C, Derakhshan M, James PT, Monk D, Prentice AM. Environmentally sensitive hotspots in the methylome of the early human embryo. eLife 2022; 11:e72031. [PMID: 35188105 PMCID: PMC8912923 DOI: 10.7554/elife.72031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In humans, DNA methylation marks inherited from gametes are largely erased following fertilisation, prior to construction of the embryonic methylome. Exploiting a natural experiment of seasonal variation including changes in diet and nutritional status in rural Gambia, we analysed three datasets covering two independent child cohorts and identified 259 CpGs showing consistent associations between season of conception (SoC) and DNA methylation. SoC effects were most apparent in early infancy, with evidence of attenuation by mid-childhood. SoC-associated CpGs were enriched for metastable epialleles, parent-of-origin-specific methylation and germline differentially methylated regions, supporting a periconceptional environmental influence. Many SoC-associated CpGs overlapped enhancers or sites of active transcription in H1 embryonic stem cells and fetal tissues. Half were influenced but not determined by measured genetic variants that were independent of SoC. Environmental 'hotspots' providing a record of environmental influence at periconception constitute a valuable resource for investigating epigenetic mechanisms linking early exposures to lifelong health and disease.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matt J Silver
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineGambiaUnited Kingdom
| | - Ayden Saffari
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineGambiaUnited Kingdom
| | - Noah J Kessler
- Department of Genetics, University of CambridgeCambridgeUnited Kingdom
| | - Gririraj R Chandak
- Genomic Research on Complex Diseases, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular BiologyHyderabadIndia
| | - Caroline HD Fall
- MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton General HospitalSouthamptonUnited Kingdom
| | - Prachand Issarapu
- Genomic Research on Complex Diseases, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular BiologyHyderabadIndia
| | - Akshay Dedaniya
- Genomic Research on Complex Diseases, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular BiologyHyderabadIndia
| | - Modupeh Betts
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineGambiaUnited Kingdom
| | - Sophie E Moore
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineGambiaUnited Kingdom
- Department of Women and Children's Health, King's College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - Michael N Routledge
- School of Medicine, University of LeedsLeedsUnited Kingdom
- School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu UniversityZhenjiangChina
| | - Zdenko Herceg
- Epigenomics and Mechanisms Branch, International Agency For Research On CancerLyonFrance
| | - Cyrille Cuenin
- Epigenomics and Mechanisms Branch, International Agency For Research On CancerLyonFrance
| | - Maria Derakhshan
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineGambiaUnited Kingdom
| | - Philip T James
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineGambiaUnited Kingdom
| | - David Monk
- Biomedical Research Centre, University of East AngliaNorwichUnited Kingdom
- Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical ResearchBarcelonaSpain
| | - Andrew M Prentice
- Medical Research Council Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical MedicineGambiaUnited Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Mangnier L, Joly-Beauparlant C, Droit A, Bilodeau S, Bureau A. Cis-regulatory hubs: a new 3D model of complex disease genetics with an application to schizophrenia. Life Sci Alliance 2022; 5:5/5/e202101156. [PMID: 35086934 PMCID: PMC8807870 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202101156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Genes and their regulatory elements are organized in neurons within 3D networks which model functional structures and explain schizophrenia genetic etiology. The 3D conformation of the chromatin creates complex networks of noncoding regulatory regions (distal elements) and promoters impacting gene regulation. Despite the importance of the role of noncoding regions in complex diseases, little is known about their interplay within regulatory hubs and implication in multigenic diseases such as schizophrenia. Here we show that cis-regulatory hubs (CRHs) in neurons highlight functional interactions between distal elements and promoters, providing a model to explain epigenetic mechanisms involved in complex diseases. CRHs represent a new 3D model, where distal elements interact to create a complex network of active genes. In a disease context, CRHs highlighted strong enrichments in schizophrenia-associated genes, schizophrenia-associated SNPs, and schizophrenia heritability compared with equivalent structures. Finally, CRHs exhibit larger proportions of genes differentially expressed in schizophrenia compared with promoter-distal element pairs or TADs. CRHs thus capture causal regulatory processes improving the understanding of complex disease etiology such as schizophrenia. These multiple lines of genetic and statistical evidence support CRHs as 3D models to study dysregulation of gene expression in complex diseases more generally.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Loïc Mangnier
- Centre de Recherche CERVO, Quebec City, Canada.,Département de Médecine Sociale et Préventive, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada.,Centre de Recherche en données Massives de l'Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada.,Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec - Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Charles Joly-Beauparlant
- Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec - Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada.,Département de Médecine Moléculaire, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Arnaud Droit
- Centre de Recherche en données Massives de l'Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada.,Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec - Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada.,Département de Médecine Moléculaire, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Steve Bilodeau
- Centre de Recherche en données Massives de l'Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada .,Centre de recherche du Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Québec - Université Laval, Axe Oncologie, Quebec City, Canada.,Département de Biologie Moléculaire, Biochimie Médicale et Pathologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada
| | - Alexandre Bureau
- Centre de Recherche CERVO, Quebec City, Canada .,Département de Médecine Sociale et Préventive, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada.,Centre de Recherche en données Massives de l'Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Recknagel H, Trontelj P. From Cave Dragons to Genomics: Advancements in the Study of Subterranean Tetrapods. Bioscience 2021; 72:254-266. [PMID: 35241972 PMCID: PMC8888124 DOI: 10.1093/biosci/biab117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Throughout most of the kingdom Animalia, evolutionary transitions from surface life to a life permanently bound to caves and other subterranean habitats have occurred innumerous times. Not so in tetrapods, where a mere 14 cave-obligate species—all plethodontid and proteid salamanders—are known. We discuss why cave tetrapods are so exceptional and why only salamanders have made the transition. Their evolution follows predictable and convergent, albeit independent pathways. Among the many known changes associated with transitions to subterranean life, eye degeneration, starvation resistance, and longevity are especially relevant to human biomedical research. Recently, sequences of salamander genomes have become available opening up genomic research for cave tetrapods. We discuss new genomic methods that can spur our understanding of the evolutionary mechanisms behind convergent phenotypic change, the relative roles of selective and neutral evolution, cryptic species diversity, and data relevant for conservation such as effective population size and demography.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hans Recknagel
- University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, working, Biotechnical Faculty, Dept. of Biology, Subterranean Biology Lab
| | - Peter Trontelj
- University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, working, Biotechnical Faculty, Dept. of Biology, Subterranean Biology Lab
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
Díez-Villanueva A, Jordà M, Carreras-Torres R, Alonso H, Cordero D, Guinó E, Sanjuan X, Santos C, Salazar R, Sanz-Pamplona R, Moreno V. Identifying causal models between genetically regulated methylation patterns and gene expression in healthy colon tissue. Clin Epigenetics 2021; 13:162. [PMID: 34419169 PMCID: PMC8380335 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-021-01148-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND DNA methylation is involved in the regulation of gene expression and phenotypic variation, but the inter-relationship between genetic variation, DNA methylation and gene expression remains poorly understood. Here we combine the analysis of genetic variants related to methylation markers (methylation quantitative trait loci: mQTLs) and gene expression (expression quantitative trait loci: eQTLs) with methylation markers related to gene expression (expression quantitative trait methylation: eQTMs), to provide novel insights into the genetic/epigenetic architecture of colocalizing molecular markers. RESULTS Normal mucosa from 100 patients with colon cancer and 50 healthy donors included in the Colonomics project have been analyzed. Linear models have been used to find mQTLs and eQTMs within 1 Mb of the target gene. From 32,446 eQTLs previously detected, we found a total of 6850 SNPs, 114 CpGs and 52 genes interrelated, generating 13,987 significant combinations of co-occurring associations (meQTLs) after Bonferromi correction. Non-redundant meQTLs were 54, enriched in genes involved in metabolism of glucose and xenobiotics and immune system. SNPs in meQTLs were enriched in regulatory elements (enhancers and promoters) compared to random SNPs within 1 Mb of genes. Three colorectal cancer GWAS SNPs were related to methylation changes, and four SNPs were related to chemerin levels. Bayesian networks have been used to identify putative causal relationships among associated SNPs, CpG and gene expression triads. We identified that most of these combinations showed the canonical pathway of methylation markers causes gene expression variation (60.1%) or non-causal relationship between methylation and gene expression (33.9%); however, in up to 6% of these combinations, gene expression was causing variation in methylation markers. CONCLUSIONS In this study we provided a characterization of the regulation between genetic variants and inter-dependent methylation markers and gene expression in a set of 150 healthy colon tissue samples. This is an important finding for the understanding of molecular susceptibility on colon-related complex diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Anna Díez-Villanueva
- Unit of Biomarkers and Susceptibility, Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Av Gran Via 199-203, 08907, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Colorectal Cancer Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Research Centre Network for Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Mireia Jordà
- Program of Predictive and Personalized Medicine of Cancer (PMPPC), Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Robert Carreras-Torres
- Unit of Biomarkers and Susceptibility, Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Av Gran Via 199-203, 08907, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Colorectal Cancer Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Research Centre Network for Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Henar Alonso
- Unit of Biomarkers and Susceptibility, Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Av Gran Via 199-203, 08907, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Colorectal Cancer Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Research Centre Network for Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - David Cordero
- Unit of Biomarkers and Susceptibility, Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Av Gran Via 199-203, 08907, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Colorectal Cancer Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Research Centre Network for Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Elisabet Guinó
- Unit of Biomarkers and Susceptibility, Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Av Gran Via 199-203, 08907, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Colorectal Cancer Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Research Centre Network for Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Xavier Sanjuan
- Colorectal Cancer Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Pathology Department, University Hospital Bellvitge (HUB), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Cristina Santos
- Colorectal Cancer Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Medical Oncology Service, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Research Centre Network for Oncology (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Ramón Salazar
- Colorectal Cancer Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Medical Oncology Service, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Barcelona, Spain
- Biomedical Research Centre Network for Oncology (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Rebeca Sanz-Pamplona
- Unit of Biomarkers and Susceptibility, Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Av Gran Via 199-203, 08907, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
- Colorectal Cancer Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
- Biomedical Research Centre Network for Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
| | - Victor Moreno
- Unit of Biomarkers and Susceptibility, Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO), Av Gran Via 199-203, 08907, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
- Colorectal Cancer Group, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
- Biomedical Research Centre Network for Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Abstract
Diploidy has profound implications for population genetics and susceptibility to genetic diseases. Although two copies are present for most genes in the human genome, they are not necessarily both active or active at the same level in a given individual. Genomic imprinting, resulting in exclusive or biased expression in favor of the allele of paternal or maternal origin, is now believed to affect hundreds of human genes. A far greater number of genes display unequal expression of gene copies due to cis-acting genetic variants that perturb gene expression. The availability of data generated by RNA sequencing applied to large numbers of individuals and tissue types has generated unprecedented opportunities to assess the contribution of genetic variation to allelic imbalance in gene expression. Here we review the insights gained through the analysis of these data about the extent of the genetic contribution to allelic expression imbalance, the tools and statistical models for gene expression imbalance, and what the results obtained reveal about the contribution of genetic variants that alter gene expression to complex human diseases and phenotypes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Siobhan Cleary
- School of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Mathematics, National University of Ireland, Galway H91 H3CY, Ireland;
| | - Cathal Seoighe
- School of Mathematics, Statistics and Applied Mathematics, National University of Ireland, Galway H91 H3CY, Ireland;
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Li M, Lyu C, Huang M, Do C, Tycko B, Lupo PJ, MacLeod SL, Randolph CE, Liu N, Witte JS, Hobbs CA. Mapping methylation quantitative trait loci in cardiac tissues nominates risk loci and biological pathways in congenital heart disease. BMC Genom Data 2021; 22:20. [PMID: 34112112 PMCID: PMC8194170 DOI: 10.1186/s12863-021-00975-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Most congenital heart defects (CHDs) result from complex interactions among genetic susceptibilities, epigenetic modifications, and maternal environmental exposures. Characterizing the complex relationship between genetic, epigenetic, and transcriptomic variation will enhance our understanding of pathogenesis in this important type of congenital disorder. We investigated cis-acting effects of genetic single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on local DNA methylation patterns within 83 cardiac tissue samples and prioritized their contributions to CHD risk by leveraging results of CHD genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and their effects on cardiac gene expression. Results We identified 13,901 potential methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTLs) with a false discovery threshold of 5%. Further co-localization analyses and Mendelian randomization indicated that genetic variants near the HLA-DRB6 gene on chromosome 6 may contribute to CHD risk by regulating the methylation status of nearby CpG sites. Additional SNPs in genomic regions on chromosome 10 (TNKS2-AS1 gene) and chromosome 14 (LINC01629 gene) may simultaneously influence epigenetic and transcriptomic variations within cardiac tissues. Conclusions Our results support the hypothesis that genetic variants may influence the risk of CHDs through regulating the changes of DNA methylation and gene expression. Our results can serve as an important source of information that can be integrated with other genetic studies of heart diseases, especially CHDs. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12863-021-00975-2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ming Li
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Indiana University Bloomington, 1025 E. Seventh Street, Bloomington, 47405, IN, USA.
| | - Chen Lyu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Indiana University Bloomington, 1025 E. Seventh Street, Bloomington, 47405, IN, USA
| | - Manyan Huang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Indiana University Bloomington, 1025 E. Seventh Street, Bloomington, 47405, IN, USA
| | - Catherine Do
- Hackensack-Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, NJ, 07110, USA
| | - Benjamin Tycko
- Hackensack-Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, NJ, 07110, USA
| | | | | | | | - Nianjun Liu
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Indiana University Bloomington, 1025 E. Seventh Street, Bloomington, 47405, IN, USA
| | - John S Witte
- University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94158, USA
| | - Charlotte A Hobbs
- Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine, San Diego, CA, 92123, USA
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Fujikura K, Alruwaii ZI, Haffner MC, Trujillo MA, Roberts NJ, Hong SM, Macgregor-Das A, Goggins MG, Roy S, Meeker AK, Ding D, Wright M, He J, Hruban RH, Wood LD. Downregulation of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine is an early event in pancreatic tumorigenesis. J Pathol 2021; 254:279-288. [PMID: 33870509 DOI: 10.1002/path.5682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2021] [Revised: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Epigenetic alterations are increasingly recognized as important contributors to the development and progression of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) is an epigenetic DNA mark generated through the ten-eleven translocation (TET) enzyme-mediated pathway and is closely linked to gene activation. However, the timing of alterations in epigenetic regulation in the progression of pancreatic neoplasia is not well understood. In this study, we hypothesized that aberrant expression of ten-eleven translocation methylcytosine dioxygenase 1 (TET1) and subsequent global 5hmC alteration are linked to early tumorigenesis in the pancreas. Therefore, we evaluated alterations of 5hmC and TET1 levels using immunohistochemistry in pancreatic neoplasms (n = 380) and normal ducts (n = 118). The study cohort included representation of the full spectrum of precancerous lesions from low- and high-grade pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia (n = 95), intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (all subtypes, n = 129), intraductal oncocytic papillary neoplasms (n = 12), and mucinous cystic neoplasms (n = 144). 5hmC and TET1 were significantly downregulated in all types of precancerous lesion and associated invasive pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas compared with normal ductal epithelium (all p < 0.001), and expression of 5hmC positively correlated with expression of TET1. Importantly, downregulation of both 5hmC and TET1 was observed in most low-grade precancerous lesions. There were no clear associations between 5hmC levels and clinicopathological factors, thereby suggesting a common epigenetic abnormality across precancerous lesions. We conclude that downregulation of 5hmC and TET1 is an early event in pancreatic tumorigenesis. © 2021 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kohei Fujikura
- Department of Pathology, Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Zainab I Alruwaii
- Department of Pathology, Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Michael C Haffner
- Department of Pathology, Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Maria A Trujillo
- Department of Pathology, Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Nicholas J Roberts
- Department of Pathology, Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Seung-Mo Hong
- Department of Pathology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Anne Macgregor-Das
- Department of Pathology, Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Michael G Goggins
- Department of Pathology, Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Sujayita Roy
- Department of Pathology, Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Alan K Meeker
- Department of Pathology, Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ding Ding
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Michael Wright
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jin He
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Ralph H Hruban
- Department of Pathology, Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Laura D Wood
- Department of Pathology, Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.,Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Eales JM, Jiang X, Xu X, Saluja S, Akbarov A, Cano-Gamez E, McNulty MT, Finan C, Guo H, Wystrychowski W, Szulinska M, Thomas HB, Pramanik S, Chopade S, Prestes PR, Wise I, Evangelou E, Salehi M, Shakanti Y, Ekholm M, Denniff M, Nazgiewicz A, Eichinger F, Godfrey B, Antczak A, Glyda M, Król R, Eyre S, Brown J, Berzuini C, Bowes J, Caulfield M, Zukowska-Szczechowska E, Zywiec J, Bogdanski P, Kretzler M, Woolf AS, Talavera D, Keavney B, Maffia P, Guzik TJ, O'Keefe RT, Trynka G, Samani NJ, Hingorani A, Sampson MG, Morris AP, Charchar FJ, Tomaszewski M. Uncovering genetic mechanisms of hypertension through multi-omic analysis of the kidney. Nat Genet 2021; 53:630-637. [PMID: 33958779 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-021-00835-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2020] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The kidney is an organ of key relevance to blood pressure (BP) regulation, hypertension and antihypertensive treatment. However, genetically mediated renal mechanisms underlying susceptibility to hypertension remain poorly understood. We integrated genotype, gene expression, alternative splicing and DNA methylation profiles of up to 430 human kidneys to characterize the effects of BP index variants from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) on renal transcriptome and epigenome. We uncovered kidney targets for 479 (58.3%) BP-GWAS variants and paired 49 BP-GWAS kidney genes with 210 licensed drugs. Our colocalization and Mendelian randomization analyses identified 179 unique kidney genes with evidence of putatively causal effects on BP. Through Mendelian randomization, we also uncovered effects of BP on renal outcomes commonly affecting patients with hypertension. Collectively, our studies identified genetic variants, kidney genes, molecular mechanisms and biological pathways of key relevance to the genetic regulation of BP and inherited susceptibility to hypertension.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- James M Eales
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Xiao Jiang
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Xiaoguang Xu
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Sushant Saluja
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Artur Akbarov
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Eddie Cano-Gamez
- Department of Human Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Michelle T McNulty
- Division of Nephrology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,The Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Christopher Finan
- Institute of Cardiovascular Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Hui Guo
- Centre for Biostatistics, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Wojciech Wystrychowski
- Department of General, Vascular and Transplant Surgery, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
| | - Monika Szulinska
- Department of Obesity, Metabolic Disorders Treatment and Clinical Dietetics, Karol Marcinkowski University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland
| | - Huw B Thomas
- Division of Evolution and Genomic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Sanjeev Pramanik
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, Blackburn, UK
| | - Sandesh Chopade
- Institute of Cardiovascular Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Priscilla R Prestes
- Health Innovation and Transformation Centre, School of Science, Psychology and Sport, Federation University Australia, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
| | - Ingrid Wise
- Australian Institute of Tropical Health & Medicine, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia
| | - Evangelos Evangelou
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.,Department of Hygiene and Epidemiology, University of Ioannina Medical School, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Mahan Salehi
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Yusif Shakanti
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Mikael Ekholm
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Matthew Denniff
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Alicja Nazgiewicz
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Felix Eichinger
- Department of Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Bradley Godfrey
- Department of Urology and Uro-oncology, Karol Marcinkowski University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland
| | - Andrzej Antczak
- Department of Urology and Uro-oncology, Karol Marcinkowski University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland
| | - Maciej Glyda
- Department of Transplantology and General Surgery Poznan, Collegium Medicum, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Bydgoszcz, Poland
| | - Robert Król
- Department of General, Vascular and Transplant Surgery, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
| | - Stephen Eyre
- Division of Musculoskeletal and Dermatological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Jason Brown
- Division of Research and Innovation, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Carlo Berzuini
- Centre for Biostatistics, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - John Bowes
- Division of Musculoskeletal and Dermatological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Mark Caulfield
- William Harvey Research Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.,National Institute for Health Research, Barts Cardiovascular Biomedical Research Centre, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | | | - Joanna Zywiec
- Department of Internal Medicine, Diabetology and Nephrology, Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Katowice, Poland
| | - Pawel Bogdanski
- Department of Obesity, Metabolic Disorders Treatment and Clinical Dietetics, Karol Marcinkowski University of Medical Sciences, Poznan, Poland
| | | | - Adrian S Woolf
- Division of Cell Matrix Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,Royal Manchester Children's Hospital and Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - David Talavera
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Bernard Keavney
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,Division of Cardiology and Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
| | - Pasquale Maffia
- Institute of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.,Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.,Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Tomasz J Guzik
- Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.,Department of Internal and Agricultural Medicine, Jagiellonian University College of Medicine, Kraków, Poland
| | - Raymond T O'Keefe
- Division of Evolution and Genomic Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Gosia Trynka
- Department of Human Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK.,Open Targets, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nilesh J Samani
- Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.,National Institute for Health Research, Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, Leicester, UK
| | - Aroon Hingorani
- Institute of Cardiovascular Science, University College London, London, UK
| | - Matthew G Sampson
- Division of Nephrology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.,The Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Andrew P Morris
- Division of Musculoskeletal and Dermatological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.,Department of Biostatistics, Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Fadi J Charchar
- Health Innovation and Transformation Centre, School of Science, Psychology and Sport, Federation University Australia, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.,Department of Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.,Department of Physiology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Maciej Tomaszewski
- Division of Cardiovascular Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. .,Manchester Heart Centre and Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
28
|
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: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [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.
Collapse
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
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Atak ZK, Taskiran II, Demeulemeester J, Flerin C, Mauduit D, Minnoye L, Hulselmans G, Christiaens V, Ghanem GE, Wouters J, Aerts S. Interpretation of allele-specific chromatin accessibility using cell state-aware deep learning. Genome Res 2021; 31:1082-1096. [PMID: 33832990 PMCID: PMC8168584 DOI: 10.1101/gr.260851.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2020] [Accepted: 04/05/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Genomic sequence variation within enhancers and promoters can have a significant impact on the cellular state and phenotype. However, sifting through the millions of candidate variants in a personal genome or a cancer genome, to identify those that impact cis-regulatory function, remains a major challenge. Interpretation of noncoding genome variation benefits from explainable artificial intelligence to predict and interpret the impact of a mutation on gene regulation. Here we generate phased whole genomes with matched chromatin accessibility, histone modifications, and gene expression for 10 melanoma cell lines. We find that training a specialized deep learning model, called DeepMEL2, on melanoma chromatin accessibility data can capture the various regulatory programs of the melanocytic and mesenchymal-like melanoma cell states. This model outperforms motif-based variant scoring, as well as more generic deep learning models. We detect hundreds to thousands of allele-specific chromatin accessibility variants (ASCAVs) in each melanoma genome, of which 15%-20% can be explained by gains or losses of transcription factor binding sites. A considerable fraction of ASCAVs are caused by changes in AP-1 binding, as confirmed by matched ChIP-seq data to identify allele-specific binding of JUN and FOSL1. Finally, by augmenting the DeepMEL2 model with ChIP-seq data for GABPA, the TERT promoter mutation, as well as additional ETS motif gains, can be identified with high confidence. In conclusion, we present a new integrative genomics approach and a deep learning model to identify and interpret functional enhancer mutations with allelic imbalance of chromatin accessibility and gene expression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zeynep Kalender Atak
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,KU Leuven, Department of Human Genetics KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ibrahim Ihsan Taskiran
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,KU Leuven, Department of Human Genetics KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jonas Demeulemeester
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,KU Leuven, Department of Human Genetics KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,Cancer Genomics Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, United Kingdom
| | - Christopher Flerin
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,KU Leuven, Department of Human Genetics KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - David Mauduit
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,KU Leuven, Department of Human Genetics KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Liesbeth Minnoye
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,KU Leuven, Department of Human Genetics KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Gert Hulselmans
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,KU Leuven, Department of Human Genetics KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Valerie Christiaens
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,KU Leuven, Department of Human Genetics KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ghanem-Elias Ghanem
- Institut Jules Bordet, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Jasper Wouters
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,KU Leuven, Department of Human Genetics KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Stein Aerts
- VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain and Disease Research, 3000 Leuven, Belgium.,KU Leuven, Department of Human Genetics KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Chidambaran V, Zhang X, Pilipenko V, Chen X, Wronowski B, Geisler K, Martin LJ, Barski A, Weirauch MT, Ji H. Methylation quantitative trait locus analysis of chronic postsurgical pain uncovers epigenetic mediators of genetic risk. Epigenomics 2021; 13:613-630. [PMID: 33820434 DOI: 10.2217/epi-2020-0424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Overlap of pathways enriched by single nucleotide polymorphisms and DNA-methylation underlying chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP), prompted pilot study of CPSP-associated methylation quantitative trait loci (meQTL). Materials & methods: Children undergoing spine-fusion were recruited prospectively. Logistic-regression for genome- and epigenome-wide CPSP association and DNA-methylation-single nucleotide polymorphism association/mediation analyses to identify meQTLs were followed by functional genomics analyses. Results: CPSP (n = 20/58) and non-CPSP groups differed in pain-measures. Of 2753 meQTLs, DNA-methylation at 127 cytosine-guanine dinucleotides mediated association of 470 meQTLs with CPSP (p < 0.05). At PARK16 locus, CPSP risk meQTLs were associated with decreased DNA-methylation at RAB7L1 and increased DNA-methylation at PM20D1. Corresponding RAB7L1/PM20D1 blood eQTLs (GTEx) and cytosine-guanine dinucleotide-loci enrichment for histone marks, transcription factor binding sites and ATAC-seq peaks suggest altered transcription factor-binding. Conclusion: CPSP-associated meQTLs indicate epigenetic mechanisms mediate genetic risk. Clinical trial registration: NCT01839461, NCT01731873 (ClinicalTrials.gov).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vidya Chidambaran
- Department of Anesthesiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Xue Zhang
- Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Valentina Pilipenko
- Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Xiaoting Chen
- Division of Allergy & Immunology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Benjamin Wronowski
- Division of Allergy & Immunology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Kristie Geisler
- Department of Anesthesiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Lisa J Martin
- Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati School of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Artem Barski
- Division of Human Genetics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.,Division of Allergy & Immunology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati School of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Matthew T Weirauch
- Division of Allergy & Immunology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati School of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA
| | - Hong Ji
- Department of Anatomy, Physiology & Cell biology, California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Zhang Y, Wu Y, Wu Y, Chang Y, Liu M. CRISPR-Cas systems: From gene scissors to programmable biosensors. Trends Analyt Chem 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.trac.2021.116210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
|
32
|
Pineda-Cirera L, Cabana-Domínguez J, Grau-López L, Daigre C, Sánchez-Mora C, Palma-Álvarez RF, Ramos-Quiroga JA, Ribasés M, Cormand B, Fernàndez-Castillo N. Exploring allele specific methylation in drug dependence susceptibility. J Psychiatr Res 2021; 136:474-482. [PMID: 32917399 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2020.07.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Revised: 07/24/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Drug dependence is a neuropsychiatric condition that involves genetic, epigenetic and environmental factors. Allele-specific methylation (ASM) is a common and stable epigenetic mechanism that involves genetic variants correlating with differential levels of methylation at CpG sites. We selected 182 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) described to influence cis ASM in human brain regions to evaluate their possible contribution to drug dependence susceptibility. We performed a case-control association study in a discovery sample of 578 drug-dependent patients (including 428 cocaine-dependent subjects) and 656 controls from Spain, and then, we followed-up the significant associations in an independent sample of 1119 cases (including 589 cocaine-dependent subjects) and 1092 controls. In the discovery sample, we identified five nominal associations, one of them replicated in the follow-up sample (rs6020251). The pooled analysis revealed an association between drug dependence and rs6020251 but also rs11585570, both overcoming the Bonferroni correction for multiple testing. We performed the same analysis considering only cocaine-dependent patients and obtained similar results. The rs6020251 variant correlates with differential methylation levels of cg17974185 and lies in the first intron of the CTNNBL1 gene, in a genomic region with multiple histone marks related to enhancer and promoter regions in brain. Rs11585570 is an eQTL in brain and blood for the SCP2 and ECHDC2 genes and correlates with differential methylation of cg27535305 and cg13461509, located in the promoter regions of both genes. To conclude, using an approach that combines genetic and epigenetic data, we highlighted the CTNNBL1, SCP2 and ECHDC2 genes as potential contributors to drug dependence susceptibility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Laura Pineda-Cirera
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Catalonia, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Spain; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Judit Cabana-Domínguez
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Catalonia, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Spain; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Lara Grau-López
- Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Group of Psychiatry, Mental Health and Addictions, Catalonia, Spain; Biomedical Network Research Centre on Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Psychiatry and Legal Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Constanza Daigre
- Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Group of Psychiatry, Mental Health and Addictions, Catalonia, Spain; Biomedical Network Research Centre on Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Psychiatry and Legal Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Cristina Sánchez-Mora
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Biomedical Network Research Centre on Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Psychiatric Genetics Unit, Group of Psychiatry, Mental Health and Addiction, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Raul Felipe Palma-Álvarez
- Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Group of Psychiatry, Mental Health and Addictions, Catalonia, Spain; Biomedical Network Research Centre on Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Psychiatry and Legal Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Josep Antoni Ramos-Quiroga
- Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Group of Psychiatry, Mental Health and Addictions, Catalonia, Spain; Biomedical Network Research Centre on Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Department of Psychiatry and Legal Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Marta Ribasés
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Department of Psychiatry, Hospital Universitari Vall d'Hebron, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Biomedical Network Research Centre on Mental Health (CIBERSAM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Madrid, Spain; Psychiatric Genetics Unit, Group of Psychiatry, Mental Health and Addiction, Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Bru Cormand
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Catalonia, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Spain; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - Noèlia Fernàndez-Castillo
- Departament de Genètica, Microbiologia i Estadística, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institut de Biomedicina de la Universitat de Barcelona (IBUB), Catalonia, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), Spain; Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu (IR-SJD), Esplugues de Llobregat, Catalonia, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Hu J, Wuitchik SJS, Barry TN, Jamniczky HA, Rogers SM, Barrett RDH. Heritability of DNA methylation in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Genetics 2021; 217:1-15. [PMID: 33683369 PMCID: PMC8045681 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyab001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic mechanisms underlying phenotypic change are hypothesized to contribute to population persistence and adaptation in the face of environmental change. To date, few studies have explored the heritability of intergenerationally stable methylation levels in natural populations, and little is known about the relative contribution of cis- and trans-regulatory changes to methylation variation. Here, we explore the heritability of DNA methylation, and conduct methylation quantitative trait loci (meQTLs) analysis to investigate the genetic architecture underlying methylation variation between marine and freshwater ecotypes of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We quantitatively measured genome-wide DNA methylation in fin tissue using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing of F1 and F2 crosses, and their marine and freshwater source populations. We identified cytosines (CpG sites) that exhibited stable methylation levels across generations. We found that additive genetic variance explained an average of 24-35% of the methylation variance, with a number of CpG sites possibly autonomous from genetic control. We also detected both cis- and trans-meQTLs, with only trans-meQTLs overlapping with previously identified genomic regions of high differentiation between marine and freshwater ecotypes. Finally, we identified the genetic architecture underlying two key CpG sites that were differentially methylated between ecotypes. These findings demonstrate a potential role for DNA methylation in facilitating adaptation to divergent environments and improve our understanding of the heritable basis of population epigenomic variation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Juntao Hu
- National Observation and Research Station for Yangtze Estuarine Wetland Ecosystems, and Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity Science and Ecological Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Institute of Biodiversity Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200438, China
- Redpath Museum and Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C4, Canada
| | - Sara J S Wuitchik
- Informatics Group, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Tegan N Barry
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Heather A Jamniczky
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Sean M Rogers
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Rowan D H Barrett
- Redpath Museum and Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3A 0C4, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Duan A, Wang H, Zhu Y, Wang Q, Zhang J, Hou Q, Xing Y, Shi J, Hou J, Qin Z, Chen Z, Liu Z, Yang J. Chromatin architecture reveals cell type-specific target genes for kidney disease risk variants. BMC Biol 2021; 19:38. [PMID: 33627123 PMCID: PMC7905576 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-021-00977-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cell type-specific transcriptional programming results from the combinatorial interplay between the repertoire of active regulatory elements. Disease-associated variants disrupt such programming, leading to altered expression of downstream regulated genes and the onset of pathological states. However, due to the non-linear regulatory properties of non-coding elements such as enhancers, which can activate transcription at long distances and in a non-directional way, the identification of causal variants and their target genes remains challenging. Here, we provide a multi-omics analysis to identify regulatory elements associated with functional kidney disease variants, and downstream regulated genes. RESULTS In order to understand the genetic risk of kidney diseases, we generated a comprehensive dataset of the chromatin landscape of human kidney tubule cells, including transcription-centered 3D chromatin organization, histone modifications distribution and transcriptome with HiChIP, ChIP-seq and RNA-seq. We identified genome-wide functional elements and thousands of interactions between the distal elements and target genes. The results revealed that risk variants for renal tumor and chronic kidney disease were enriched in kidney tubule cells. We further pinpointed the target genes for the variants and validated two target genes by CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing techniques in zebrafish, demonstrating that SLC34A1 and MTX1 were indispensable genes to maintain kidney function. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide a valuable multi-omics resource on the chromatin landscape of human kidney tubule cells and establish a bioinformatic pipeline in dissecting functions of kidney disease-associated variants based on cell type-specific epigenome.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Aiping Duan
- National Clinical Research Center for Kidney Disease, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210002, Jiangsu, China
- Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, Jiangsu, China
| | - Hong Wang
- Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yan Zhu
- National Clinical Research Center for Kidney Disease, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210002, Jiangsu, China
- Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qi Wang
- Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, Jiangsu, China
| | - Qing Hou
- National Clinical Research Center for Kidney Disease, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210002, Jiangsu, China
- Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, Jiangsu, China
| | - Yuexian Xing
- National Clinical Research Center for Kidney Disease, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210002, Jiangsu, China
- Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jinsong Shi
- National Clinical Research Center for Kidney Disease, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210002, Jiangsu, China
- Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jinhua Hou
- National Clinical Research Center for Kidney Disease, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210002, Jiangsu, China
- Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhaohui Qin
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, 1518 Clifton Road N.E, Atlanta, GA, 30322, USA
| | - Zhaohong Chen
- National Clinical Research Center for Kidney Disease, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210002, Jiangsu, China
- Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, Jiangsu, China
| | - Zhihong Liu
- National Clinical Research Center for Kidney Disease, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210002, Jiangsu, China
- Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, Jiangsu, China
| | - Jingping Yang
- National Clinical Research Center for Kidney Disease, Jinling Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210002, Jiangsu, China.
- Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, Jiangsu, China.
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Coda DM, Gräff J. Neurogenetic and Neuroepigenetic Mechanisms in Cognitive Health and Disease. Front Mol Neurosci 2020; 13:205. [PMID: 33343294 PMCID: PMC7745653 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2020.589109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Over the last two decades, the explosion of experimental, computational, and high-throughput technologies has led to critical insights into how the brain functions in health and disease. It has become increasingly clear that the vast majority of brain activities result from the complex entanglement of genetic factors, epigenetic changes, and environmental stimuli, which, when altered, can lead to neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Nevertheless, a complete understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal activities and higher-order cognitive processes continues to elude neuroscientists. Here, we provide a concise overview of how the interaction between the environment and genetic as well as epigenetic mechanisms shapes complex neuronal processes such as learning, memory, and synaptic plasticity. We then consider how this interaction contributes to the development of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, and how it can be modeled to predict phenotypic variability and disease risk. Finally, we outline new frontiers in neurogenetic and neuroepigenetic research and highlight the challenges these fields will face in their quest to decipher the molecular mechanisms governing brain functioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Davide Martino Coda
- Laboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Johannes Gräff
- Laboratory of Neuroepigenetics, Brain Mind Institute, School of Life Sciences, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
36
|
Olsson Lindvall M, Angerfors A, Andersson B, Nilsson S, Davila Lopez M, Hansson L, Stanne TM, Jern C. Comparison of DNA Methylation Profiles of Hemostatic Genes between Liver Tissue and Peripheral Blood within Individuals. Thromb Haemost 2020; 121:573-583. [PMID: 33202445 PMCID: PMC8116175 DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1720980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
DNA methylation has become increasingly recognized in the etiology of complex diseases, including thrombotic disorders. Blood is often collected in epidemiological studies for genotyping and has recently also been used to examine DNA methylation in epigenome-wide association studies. DNA methylation patterns are often tissue-specific, thus, peripheral blood may not accurately reflect the methylation pattern in the tissue of relevance. Here, we collected paired liver and blood samples concurrently from 27 individuals undergoing liver surgery. We performed targeted bisulfite sequencing for a set of 35 hemostatic genes primarily expressed in liver to analyze DNA methylation levels of >10,000 cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) dinucleotides. We evaluated whether DNA methylation in blood could serve as a proxy for DNA methylation in liver at individual CpGs. Approximately 30% of CpGs were nonvariable and were predominantly hypo- (<25%) or hypermethylated (>70%) in both tissues. While blood can serve as a proxy for liver at these CpGs, the low variability renders these unlikely to explain phenotypic differences. We therefore focused on CpG sites with variable methylation levels in liver. The level of blood-liver tissue correlation varied widely across these variable CpGs; moderate correlations (0.5 ≤ r < 0.75) were detected for 6% and strong correlations (r ≥ 0.75) for a further 4%. Our findings indicate that it is essential to study the concordance of DNA methylation between blood and liver at individual CpGs. This paired blood-liver dataset is intended as a resource to aid interpretation of blood-based DNA methylation results.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Martina Olsson Lindvall
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Genetics and Genomics, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Annelie Angerfors
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Bioinformatics Core Facility, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Björn Andersson
- Bioinformatics Core Facility, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Staffan Nilsson
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Mathematical Sciences, Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | | | | | - Tara M Stanne
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Genetics and Genomics, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Christina Jern
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Institute of Biomedicine, the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Department of Clinical Genetics and Genomics, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
37
|
Integrative analyses prioritize GNL3 as a risk gene for bipolar disorder. Mol Psychiatry 2020; 25:2672-2684. [PMID: 32826963 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-020-00866-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2020] [Revised: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have identified numerous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with bipolar disorder (BD), but what the causal variants are and how they contribute to BD is largely unknown. In this study, we used FUMA, a GWAS annotation tool, to pinpoint potential causal variants and genes from the latest BD GWAS findings, and performed integrative analyses, including brain expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL), gene coexpression network, differential gene expression, protein-protein interaction, and brain intermediate phenotype association analysis to identify the functions of a prioritized gene and its connection to BD. Convergent lines of evidence prioritized protein-coding gene G Protein Nucleolar 3 (GNL3) as a BD risk gene, with integrative analyses revealing GNL3's roles in cell proliferation, neuronal functions, and brain phenotypes. We experimentally revealed that BD-related eQTL SNPs rs10865973, rs12635140, and rs4687644 regulate GNL3 expression using dual luciferase reporter assay and CRISPR interference experiment in human neural progenitor cells. We further identified that GNL3 knockdown and overexpression led to aberrant neuronal proliferation and differentiation, using two-dimensional human neural cell cultures and three-dimensional forebrain organoid model. This study gathers evidence that BD-related genetic variants regulate GNL3 expression which subsequently affects neuronal proliferation and differentiation.
Collapse
|
38
|
Saffari A, Shrestha S, Issarapu P, Sajjadi S, Betts M, Sahariah SA, Tomar AS, James P, Dedaniya A, Yadav DK, Kumaran K, Prentice AM, Lillycrop KA, Fall CHD, Chandak GR, Silver MJ. Effect of maternal preconceptional and pregnancy micronutrient interventions on children's DNA methylation: Findings from the EMPHASIS study. Am J Clin Nutr 2020; 112:1099-1113. [PMID: 32889533 PMCID: PMC7528567 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2020] [Accepted: 06/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal nutrition in pregnancy has been linked to offspring health in early and later life, with changes to DNA methylation (DNAm) proposed as a mediating mechanism. OBJECTIVE We investigated intervention-associated DNAm changes in children whose mothers participated in 2 randomized controlled trials of micronutrient supplementation before and during pregnancy, as part of the EMPHASIS (Epigenetic Mechanisms linking Preconceptional nutrition and Health Assessed in India and sub-Saharan Africa) study (ISRCTN14266771). DESIGN We conducted epigenome-wide association studies with blood samples from Indian (n = 698) and Gambian (n = 293) children using the Illumina EPIC array and a targeted study of selected loci not on the array. The Indian micronutrient intervention was food based, whereas the Gambian intervention was a micronutrient tablet. RESULTS We identified 6 differentially methylated CpGs in Gambians [2.5-5.0% reduction in intervention group, all false discovery rate (FDR) <5%], the majority mapping to ESM1, which also represented a strong signal in regional analysis. One CpG passed FDR <5% in the Indian cohort, but overall effect sizes were small (<1%) and did not have the characteristics of a robust signature. We also found strong evidence for enrichment of metastable epialleles among subthreshold signals in the Gambian analysis. This supports the notion that multiple methylation loci are influenced by micronutrient supplementation in the early embryo. CONCLUSIONS Maternal preconceptional and pregnancy micronutrient supplementation may alter DNAm in children measured at 7-9 y. Multiple factors, including differences between the nature of the intervention, participants, and settings, are likely to have contributed to the lack of replication in the Indian cohort. Potential links to phenotypic outcomes will be explored in the next stage of the EMPHASIS study.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ayden Saffari
- MRC Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Smeeta Shrestha
- Genomic Research on Complex Diseases (GRC Group), CSIR–Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
- School of Basic and Applied Sciences, Dayananda Sagar University, Bangalore, India
| | - Prachand Issarapu
- Genomic Research on Complex Diseases (GRC Group), CSIR–Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
| | - Sara Sajjadi
- Genomic Research on Complex Diseases (GRC Group), CSIR–Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
| | - Modupeh Betts
- MRC Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Fajara, The Gambia
| | | | - Ashutosh Singh Tomar
- Genomic Research on Complex Diseases (GRC Group), CSIR–Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
| | - Philip James
- MRC Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Akshay Dedaniya
- Genomic Research on Complex Diseases (GRC Group), CSIR–Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
| | - Dilip K Yadav
- Genomic Research on Complex Diseases (GRC Group), CSIR–Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
- Department of Physiology, Boston University, School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Kalyanaraman Kumaran
- MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
- CSI Holdsworth Memorial Hospital, Mysore, India
| | - Andrew M Prentice
- MRC Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
- MRC Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Fajara, The Gambia
| | | | - Caroline H D Fall
- MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
| | - Giriraj R Chandak
- Genomic Research on Complex Diseases (GRC Group), CSIR–Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, India
| | - Matt J Silver
- MRC Unit The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Spurr LF, Alomran N, Bousounis P, Reece-Stremtan D, Prashant NM, Liu H, Słowiński P, Li M, Zhang Q, Sein J, Asher G, Crandall KA, Tsaneva-Atanasova K, Horvath A. ReQTL: identifying correlations between expressed SNVs and gene expression using RNA-sequencing data. Bioinformatics 2020; 36:1351-1359. [PMID: 31589315 PMCID: PMC7058180 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btz750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 09/19/2019] [Accepted: 10/01/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
MOTIVATION By testing for associations between DNA genotypes and gene expression levels, expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) analyses have been instrumental in understanding how thousands of single nucleotide variants (SNVs) may affect gene expression. As compared to DNA genotypes, RNA genetic variation represents a phenotypic trait that reflects the actual allele content of the studied system. RNA genetic variation at expressed SNV loci can be estimated using the proportion of alleles bearing the variant nucleotide (variant allele fraction, VAFRNA). VAFRNA is a continuous measure which allows for precise allele quantitation in loci where the RNA alleles do not scale with the genotype count. We describe a method to correlate VAFRNA with gene expression and assess its ability to identify genetically regulated expression solely from RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) datasets. RESULTS We introduce ReQTL, an eQTL modification which substitutes the DNA allele count for the variant allele fraction at expressed SNV loci in the transcriptome (VAFRNA). We exemplify the method on sets of RNA-seq data from human tissues obtained though the Genotype-Tissue Expression (GTEx) project and demonstrate that ReQTL analyses are computationally feasible and can identify a subset of expressed eQTL loci. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION A toolkit to perform ReQTL analyses is available at https://github.com/HorvathLab/ReQTL. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liam F Spurr
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02215, USA.,Cancer Program, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.,Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, McCormick Genomics and Proteomics Center
| | - Nawaf Alomran
- Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, McCormick Genomics and Proteomics Center
| | - Pavlos Bousounis
- Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, McCormick Genomics and Proteomics Center
| | - Dacian Reece-Stremtan
- Computer Applications Support Services, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, USA
| | - N M Prashant
- Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, McCormick Genomics and Proteomics Center
| | - Hongyu Liu
- Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, McCormick Genomics and Proteomics Center
| | - Piotr Słowiński
- Department of Mathematics & Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Muzi Li
- Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, McCormick Genomics and Proteomics Center
| | - Qianqian Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine.,Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, USA
| | - Justin Sein
- Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, McCormick Genomics and Proteomics Center
| | - Gabriel Asher
- Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, McCormick Genomics and Proteomics Center
| | - Keith A Crandall
- Computational Biology Institute, Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA
| | - Krasimira Tsaneva-Atanasova
- Department of Mathematics & Living Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.,EPSRC Centre for Predictive Modelling in Healthcare, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QJ, UK
| | - Anelia Horvath
- Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, McCormick Genomics and Proteomics Center.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine.,Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037, USA
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Belpinati F, Malerba G, Dal Toè M, Ceccuzzi L, Rodolfo M, Poli A, Turco A, Vergani E, Sangalli A, Gomez-Lira M. Enhancer of zeste 2 polycomb repressive complex 2 subunit polymorphisms in melanoma skin cancer risk. Exp Dermatol 2020; 29:980-986. [PMID: 32748461 DOI: 10.1111/exd.14163] [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: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 07/29/2020] [Accepted: 07/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Melanoma is the most deadly skin cancer, and its incidence is growing. EZH2, a member of the Polycomb Group (PcGs) proteins family, plays an important biological role in the occurrence and development of melanoma. EZH2 germline genetic polymorphisms have not been yet evaluated in melanoma predisposition. Three hundred thirty sporadic Italian melanoma patients and 333 healthy volunteers were genotyped to analyse the association between EZH2 variants rs6950683, rs2302427, rs3757441, rs2072408 and melanoma risk. The functionality of rs6950683 alleles was investigated in keratinocytes (HaCat), melanoma cells (A375) and human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293), using promoter-reporter assays. Genotype distribution of SNPs showed that rs6950683T and rs3757441C alleles were positively associated with melanoma risk (P = .003 and .004, respectively). Haplotype analysis revealed that TCCA and CCCG haplotypes were associated with a higher risk of melanoma (P = .02 and .04, respectively). Functional assays demonstrated that allele rs6950683T reduce promoter activity in the three cell lines analysed compared to C allele. rs6950683T and rs3757441C alleles in the EZH2 gene appear positively associated with melanoma risk in the analysed population. In addition, we demonstrated for the first time the functional role of rs6950683 upstream polymorphism on EZH2 gene expression regulation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Belpinati
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Biology and Genetics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Giovanni Malerba
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Biology and Genetics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Melissa Dal Toè
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Biology and Genetics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Laura Ceccuzzi
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Biology and Genetics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Monica Rodolfo
- Melanoma and Sarcoma Surgery, Unit of Immunotherapy, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - Albino Poli
- Department of Diagnostic and Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Section of Hygiene and Preventive, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Alberto Turco
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Biology and Genetics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Vergani
- Melanoma and Sarcoma Surgery, Unit of Immunotherapy, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonella Sangalli
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Biology and Genetics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Macarena Gomez-Lira
- Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Biology and Genetics, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
41
|
Smigielski L, Jagannath V, Rössler W, Walitza S, Grünblatt E. Epigenetic mechanisms in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders: a systematic review of empirical human findings. Mol Psychiatry 2020; 25:1718-1748. [PMID: 31907379 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0601-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2019] [Revised: 11/05/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders are highly debilitating psychiatric conditions that lack a clear etiology and exhibit polygenic inheritance underlain by pleiotropic genes. The prevailing explanation points to the interplay between predisposing genes and environmental exposure. Accumulated evidence suggests that epigenetic regulation of the genome may mediate dynamic gene-environment interactions at the molecular level by modulating the expression of psychiatric phenotypes through transcription factors. This systematic review summarizes the current knowledge linking schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders to epigenetics, based on PubMed and Web of Science database searches conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. Three groups of mechanisms in case-control studies of human tissue (i.e., postmortem brain and bio-fluids) were considered: DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding miRNAs. From the initial pool of 3,204 records, 152 studies met our inclusion criteria (11,815/11,528, 233/219, and 2,091/1,827 cases/controls for each group, respectively). Many of the findings revealed associations with epigenetic modulations of genes regulating neurotransmission, neurodevelopment, and immune function, as well as differential miRNA expression (e.g., upregulated miR-34a, miR-7, and miR-181b). Overall, actual evidence moderately supports an association between epigenetics and schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders. However, heterogeneous results and cross-tissue extrapolations call for future work. Integrating epigenetics into systems biology may critically enhance research on psychosis and thus our understanding of the disorder. This may have implications for psychiatry in risk stratification, early recognition, diagnostics, precision medicine, and other interventional approaches targeting epigenetic fingerprints.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lukasz Smigielski
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. .,The Zurich Program for Sustainable Development of Mental Health Services (ZInEP), University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Vinita Jagannath
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) R&D Innovation Centre, London, UK
| | - Wulf Rössler
- The Zurich Program for Sustainable Development of Mental Health Services (ZInEP), University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, University Hospital of Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany.,Laboratory of Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Susanne Walitza
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,The Zurich Program for Sustainable Development of Mental Health Services (ZInEP), University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Edna Grünblatt
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Neuroscience Center Zurich, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|
42
|
Turinsky AL, Choufani S, Lu K, Liu D, Mashouri P, Min D, Weksberg R, Brudno M. EpigenCentral: Portal for DNA methylation data analysis and classification in rare diseases. Hum Mutat 2020; 41:1722-1733. [PMID: 32623772 DOI: 10.1002/humu.24076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Revised: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 07/02/2020] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Epigenetic processes play a key role in regulating gene expression. Genetic variants that disrupt chromatin-modifying proteins are associated with a broad range of diseases, some of which have specific epigenetic patterns, such as aberrant DNA methylation (DNAm), which may be used as disease biomarkers. While much of the epigenetic research has focused on cancer, there is a paucity of resources devoted to neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), which include autism spectrum disorder and many rare, clinically overlapping syndromes. To address this challenge, we created EpigenCentral, a free web resource for biomedical researchers, molecular diagnostic laboratories, and clinical practitioners to perform the interactive classification and analysis of DNAm data related to NDDs. It allows users to search for known disease-associated patterns in their DNAm data, classify genetic variants as pathogenic or benign to assist in molecular diagnostics, or analyze patterns of differential methylation in their data through a simple web form. EpigenCentral is freely available at http://epigen.ccm.sickkids.ca/.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrei L Turinsky
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Computational Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Sanaa Choufani
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kevin Lu
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Computational Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Da Liu
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Computational Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Pouria Mashouri
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Computational Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Daniel Min
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Computational Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Rosanna Weksberg
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Division of Clinical and Metabolic Genetics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Institute of Medical Science, School of Graduate Studies, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Michael Brudno
- Genetics and Genome Biology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Centre for Computational Medicine, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.,Techna Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Do C, Dumont ELP, Salas M, Castano A, Mujahed H, Maldonado L, Singh A, DaSilva-Arnold SC, Bhagat G, Lehman S, Christiano AM, Madhavan S, Nagy PL, Green PHR, Feinman R, Trimble C, Illsley NP, Marder K, Honig L, Monk C, Goy A, Chow K, Goldlust S, Kaptain G, Siegel D, Tycko B. Allele-specific DNA methylation is increased in cancers and its dense mapping in normal plus neoplastic cells increases the yield of disease-associated regulatory SNPs. Genome Biol 2020; 21:153. [PMID: 32594908 PMCID: PMC7322865 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-020-02059-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mapping of allele-specific DNA methylation (ASM) can be a post-GWAS strategy for localizing regulatory sequence polymorphisms (rSNPs). The advantages of this approach, and the mechanisms underlying ASM in normal and neoplastic cells, remain to be clarified. RESULTS We perform whole genome methyl-seq on diverse normal cells and tissues and three cancer types. After excluding imprinting, the data pinpoint 15,112 high-confidence ASM differentially methylated regions, of which 1838 contain SNPs in strong linkage disequilibrium or coinciding with GWAS peaks. ASM frequencies are increased in cancers versus matched normal tissues, due to widespread allele-specific hypomethylation and focal allele-specific hypermethylation in poised chromatin. Cancer cells show increased allele switching at ASM loci, but disruptive SNPs in specific classes of CTCF and transcription factor binding motifs are similarly correlated with ASM in cancer and non-cancer. Rare somatic mutations affecting these same motif classes track with de novo ASM. Allele-specific transcription factor binding from ChIP-seq is enriched among ASM loci, but most ASM differentially methylated regions lack such annotations, and some are found in otherwise uninformative "chromatin deserts." CONCLUSIONS ASM is increased in cancers but occurs by a shared mechanism involving disruptive SNPs in CTCF and transcription factor binding sites in both normal and neoplastic cells. Dense ASM mapping in normal plus cancer samples reveals candidate rSNPs that are difficult to find by other approaches. Together with GWAS data, these rSNPs can nominate specific transcriptional pathways in susceptibility to autoimmune, cardiometabolic, neuropsychiatric, and neoplastic diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Do
- Hackensack-Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, NJ, 07110, USA.
- John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, 07601, USA.
| | - Emmanuel L P Dumont
- Hackensack-Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, NJ, 07110, USA
- John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, 07601, USA
| | - Martha Salas
- Hackensack-Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, NJ, 07110, USA
- John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, 07601, USA
| | - Angelica Castano
- Hackensack-Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, NJ, 07110, USA
- John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, 07601, USA
| | - Huthayfa Mujahed
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Leonel Maldonado
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Arunjot Singh
- Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Sonia C DaSilva-Arnold
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, 07601, USA
| | - Govind Bhagat
- Department of Pathology & Cell Biology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Division of Gastroenterology and Celiac Center, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Soren Lehman
- Department of Medicine, Huddinge, Karolinska Institutet, SE-171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Angela M Christiano
- Departments of Dermatology and Genetics and Development, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Subha Madhavan
- Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center of Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 20057, USA
| | | | - Peter H R Green
- Division of Gastroenterology and Celiac Center, Department of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Rena Feinman
- Hackensack-Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, NJ, 07110, USA
- John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, 07601, USA
- Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center of Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 20057, USA
| | - Cornelia Trimble
- Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA
| | - Nicholas P Illsley
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, 07601, USA
| | - Karen Marder
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Lawrence Honig
- Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- Department of Neurology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Catherine Monk
- Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine and Obstetrics and Gynecology, Columbia University Medical Center, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Andre Goy
- Hackensack-Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, NJ, 07110, USA
- John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, 07601, USA
- Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center of Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 20057, USA
| | - Kar Chow
- Hackensack-Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, NJ, 07110, USA
- John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, 07601, USA
- Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center of Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 20057, USA
| | - Samuel Goldlust
- Hackensack-Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, NJ, 07110, USA
- John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, 07601, USA
| | - George Kaptain
- Hackensack-Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, NJ, 07110, USA
- John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, 07601, USA
| | - David Siegel
- Hackensack-Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, NJ, 07110, USA
- John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, 07601, USA
- Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center of Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 20057, USA
| | - Benjamin Tycko
- Hackensack-Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, NJ, 07110, USA.
- John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack University Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ, 07601, USA.
- Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center of Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 20057, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Dumont ELP, Tycko B, Do C. CloudASM: an ultra-efficient cloud-based pipeline for mapping allele-specific DNA methylation. Bioinformatics 2020; 36:3558-3560. [PMID: 32119067 PMCID: PMC7267820 DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btaa149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2019] [Revised: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
SUMMARY Methods for quantifying the imbalance in CpG methylation between alleles genome-wide have been described but their algorithmic time complexity is quadratic and their practical use requires painstaking attention to infrastructure choice, implementation and execution. To solve this problem, we developed CloudASM, a scalable, ultra-efficient, turn-key, portable pipeline on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) that uses a novel pipeline manager and GCP's serverless enterprise data warehouse. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION CloudASM is freely available in the GitHub repository https://github.com/TyckoLab/CloudASM and a sample dataset and its results are also freely available at https://console.cloud.google.com/storage/browser/cloudasm. CONTACT emmanuel.dumont@hmh-cdi.org.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel L P Dumont
- Hackensack-Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, NJ 07110, USA
| | - Benjamin Tycko
- Hackensack-Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, NJ 07110, USA
- Hackensack-Meridian Health School of Medicine at Seton Hall University, Nutley, NJ 07110, USA
- Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer, Center Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20007, USA
| | - Catherine Do
- Hackensack-Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, Nutley, NJ 07110, USA
| |
Collapse
|
45
|
Carry PM, Vanderlinden LA, Johnson RK, Dong F, Steck AK, Frohnert BI, Rewers M, Yang IV, Kechris K, Norris JM. DNA methylation near the INS gene is associated with INS genetic variation (rs689) and type 1 diabetes in the Diabetes Autoimmunity Study in the Young. Pediatr Diabetes 2020; 21:597-605. [PMID: 32061050 PMCID: PMC7378362 DOI: 10.1111/pedi.12995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2019] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Mechanisms underlying the role of non-human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genetic risk variants in type 1 diabetes (T1D) are poorly understood. We aimed to test the association between methylation and non-HLA genetic risk. METHODS We conducted a methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTL) analysis in a nested case-control study from the Dietary Autoimmunity Study in the Young. Controls (n = 83) were frequency-matched to T1D cases (n = 83) based on age, race/ethnicity, and sample availability. We evaluated 13 non-HLA genetic markers known be associated with T1D. Genome-wide methylation profiling was performed on peripheral blood samples collected prior to T1D using the Illumina 450 K (discovery set) and infinium methylation EPIC beadchip (EPIC validation) platforms. Linear regression models, adjusting for age and sex, were used to test to each single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) -probe combination. Logistic regression models were used to test the association between T1D and methylation levels among probes with a significant mQTL. A meta-analysis was used to combine odds ratios from the two platforms. RESULTS We identified 10 SNP-methylation probe pairs (false discovery rate (FDR) adjusted P < .05 and validation P < .05). Probes were associated with the GSDMB, C1QTNF6, IL27, and INS genes. The cg03366382 (OR: 1.9, meta-P = .0495), cg21574853 (OR: 2.5, meta-P = .0232), and cg25336198 (odds ratio: 6.6, meta-P = .0081) probes were significantly associated with T1D. The three probes were located upstream from the INS transcription start site. CONCLUSIONS We confirmed an association between DNA methylation and rs689 that has been identified in related studies. Measurements in our study preceded the onset of T1D suggesting methylation may have a role in the relationship between INS variation and T1D development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Patrick M. Carry
- Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Lauren A. Vanderlinden
- Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Randi K. Johnson
- Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Fran Dong
- Barbara Davis Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Andrea K. Steck
- Barbara Davis Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado,University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Brigitte I. Frohnert
- Barbara Davis Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado,University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Marian Rewers
- Barbara Davis Center, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado,University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Ivana V. Yang
- University of Colorado School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Katerina Kechris
- Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado
| | - Jill M. Norris
- Department of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado
| |
Collapse
|
46
|
Yang Y, Zhang Q, Miao YR, Yang J, Yang W, Yu F, Wang D, Guo AY, Gong J. SNP2APA: a database for evaluating effects of genetic variants on alternative polyadenylation in human cancers. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 48:D226-D232. [PMID: 31511885 PMCID: PMC6943033 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is an important post-transcriptional regulation that recognizes different polyadenylation signals (PASs), resulting in transcripts with different 3' untranslated regions, thereby influencing a series of biological processes and functions. Recent studies have revealed that some single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) could contribute to tumorigenesis and development through dysregulating APA. However, the associations between SNPs and APA in human cancers remain largely unknown. Here, using genotype and APA data of 9082 samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and The Cancer 3'UTR Altas (TC3A), we systematically identified SNPs affecting APA events across 32 cancer types and defined them as APA quantitative trait loci (apaQTLs). As a result, a total of 467 942 cis-apaQTLs and 30 721 trans-apaQTLs were identified. By integrating apaQTLs with survival and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data, we further identified 2154 apaQTLs associated with patient survival time and 151 342 apaQTLs located in GWAS loci. In addition, we designed an online tool to predict the effects of SNPs on PASs by utilizing PAS motif prediction tool. Finally, we developed SNP2APA, a user-friendly and intuitive database (http://gong_lab.hzau.edu.cn/SNP2APA/) for data browsing, searching, and downloading. SNP2APA will significantly improve our understanding of genetic variants and APA in human cancers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yanbo Yang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P. R. China
| | - Qiong Zhang
- Hubei Bioinformatics and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China
| | - Ya-Ru Miao
- Hubei Bioinformatics and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China
| | - Jiajun Yang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P. R. China
| | - Wenqian Yang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P. R. China
| | - Fangda Yu
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P. R. China
| | - Dongyang Wang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P. R. China
| | - An-Yuan Guo
- Hubei Bioinformatics and Molecular Imaging Key Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China
| | - Jing Gong
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P. R. China.,College of Biomedicine and Health, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan 430070, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
47
|
Gi WT, Haas J, Sedaghat-Hamedani F, Kayvanpour E, Tappu R, Lehmann DH, Shirvani Samani O, Wisdom M, Keller A, Katus HA, Meder B. Epigenetic Regulation of Alternative mRNA Splicing in Dilated Cardiomyopathy. J Clin Med 2020; 9:jcm9051499. [PMID: 32429430 PMCID: PMC7291244 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9051499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Revised: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
In recent years, the genetic architecture of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) has been more thoroughly elucidated. However, there is still insufficient knowledge on the modifiers and regulatory principles that lead to the failure of myocardial function. The current study investigates the association of epigenome-wide DNA methylation and alternative splicing, both of which are important regulatory principles in DCM. We analyzed screening and replication cohorts of cases and controls and identified distinct transcriptomic patterns in the myocardium that differ significantly, and we identified a strong association of intronic DNA methylation and flanking exons usage (p < 2 × 10-16). By combining differential exon usage (DEU) and differential methylation regions (DMR), we found a significant change of regulation in important sarcomeric and other DCM-associated pathways. Interestingly, inverse regulation of Titin antisense non-coding RNA transcript splicing and DNA methylation of a locus reciprocal to TTN substantiate these findings and indicate an additional role for non-protein-coding transcripts. In summary, this study highlights for the first time the close interrelationship between genetic imprinting by DNA methylation and the transport of this epigenetic information towards the dynamic mRNA splicing landscape. This expands our knowledge of the genome-environment interaction in DCM besides simple gene expression regulation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Weng-Tein Gi
- Institute for Cardiomyopathies Heidelberg (ICH), Heart Center Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, 69121 Heidelberg, Germany; (W.-T.G.); (J.H.); (F.S.-H.); (E.K.); (R.T.); (D.H.L.); (O.S.S.); (M.W.); (H.A.K.)
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), 69121 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Medicine III, University of Heidelberg, INF 410, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jan Haas
- Institute for Cardiomyopathies Heidelberg (ICH), Heart Center Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, 69121 Heidelberg, Germany; (W.-T.G.); (J.H.); (F.S.-H.); (E.K.); (R.T.); (D.H.L.); (O.S.S.); (M.W.); (H.A.K.)
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), 69121 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Medicine III, University of Heidelberg, INF 410, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Farbod Sedaghat-Hamedani
- Institute for Cardiomyopathies Heidelberg (ICH), Heart Center Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, 69121 Heidelberg, Germany; (W.-T.G.); (J.H.); (F.S.-H.); (E.K.); (R.T.); (D.H.L.); (O.S.S.); (M.W.); (H.A.K.)
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), 69121 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Medicine III, University of Heidelberg, INF 410, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Elham Kayvanpour
- Institute for Cardiomyopathies Heidelberg (ICH), Heart Center Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, 69121 Heidelberg, Germany; (W.-T.G.); (J.H.); (F.S.-H.); (E.K.); (R.T.); (D.H.L.); (O.S.S.); (M.W.); (H.A.K.)
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), 69121 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Medicine III, University of Heidelberg, INF 410, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rewati Tappu
- Institute for Cardiomyopathies Heidelberg (ICH), Heart Center Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, 69121 Heidelberg, Germany; (W.-T.G.); (J.H.); (F.S.-H.); (E.K.); (R.T.); (D.H.L.); (O.S.S.); (M.W.); (H.A.K.)
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), 69121 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Medicine III, University of Heidelberg, INF 410, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - David Hermann Lehmann
- Institute for Cardiomyopathies Heidelberg (ICH), Heart Center Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, 69121 Heidelberg, Germany; (W.-T.G.); (J.H.); (F.S.-H.); (E.K.); (R.T.); (D.H.L.); (O.S.S.); (M.W.); (H.A.K.)
- Department of Medicine III, University of Heidelberg, INF 410, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Omid Shirvani Samani
- Institute for Cardiomyopathies Heidelberg (ICH), Heart Center Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, 69121 Heidelberg, Germany; (W.-T.G.); (J.H.); (F.S.-H.); (E.K.); (R.T.); (D.H.L.); (O.S.S.); (M.W.); (H.A.K.)
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), 69121 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Medicine III, University of Heidelberg, INF 410, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Michael Wisdom
- Institute for Cardiomyopathies Heidelberg (ICH), Heart Center Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, 69121 Heidelberg, Germany; (W.-T.G.); (J.H.); (F.S.-H.); (E.K.); (R.T.); (D.H.L.); (O.S.S.); (M.W.); (H.A.K.)
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), 69121 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Medicine III, University of Heidelberg, INF 410, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Andreas Keller
- Department of Clinical Bioinformatics, Medical Faculty, Saarland University, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany;
| | - Hugo A. Katus
- Institute for Cardiomyopathies Heidelberg (ICH), Heart Center Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, 69121 Heidelberg, Germany; (W.-T.G.); (J.H.); (F.S.-H.); (E.K.); (R.T.); (D.H.L.); (O.S.S.); (M.W.); (H.A.K.)
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), 69121 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Medicine III, University of Heidelberg, INF 410, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Benjamin Meder
- Institute for Cardiomyopathies Heidelberg (ICH), Heart Center Heidelberg, University of Heidelberg, 69121 Heidelberg, Germany; (W.-T.G.); (J.H.); (F.S.-H.); (E.K.); (R.T.); (D.H.L.); (O.S.S.); (M.W.); (H.A.K.)
- DZHK (German Center for Cardiovascular Research), 69121 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Medicine III, University of Heidelberg, INF 410, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
- Correspondence:
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Leitão E, Di Persio S, Laurentino S, Wöste M, Dugas M, Kliesch S, Neuhaus N, Horsthemke B. The sperm epigenome does not display recurrent epimutations in patients with severely impaired spermatogenesis. Clin Epigenetics 2020; 12:61. [PMID: 32375885 PMCID: PMC7204326 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-020-00854-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Accepted: 04/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the past 15 years, numerous studies have described aberrant DNA methylation of imprinted genes (e.g. MEST and H19) in sperm of oligozoospermic men, but the prevalence and genomic extent of abnormal methylation patterns have remained unknown. RESULTS Using deep bisulfite sequencing (DBS), we screened swim-up sperm samples from 40 normozoospermic and 93 patients diagnosed as oligoasthenoteratozoospermic, oligoteratozoospermic or oligozoospermic, which are termed OATs throughout the manuscript, for H19 and MEST methylation. Based on this screening, we defined three patient groups: normal controls (NC), abnormally methylated oligozoospermic (AMO; n = 7) and normally methylated oligozoospermic (NMO; n = 86). Whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) of five NC and five AMO samples revealed abnormal methylation levels of all 50 imprinting control regions in each AMO sample. To investigate whether this finding reflected epigenetic germline mosaicism or the presence of residual somatic DNA, we made a genome-wide inventory of soma-germ cell-specific DNA methylation. We found that > 2000 germ cell-specific genes are promoter-methylated in blood and that AMO samples had abnormal methylation levels at these genes, consistent with the presence of somatic cell DNA. The comparison between the five NC and six NMO samples revealed 19 differentially methylated regions (DMRs), none of which could be validated in an independent cohort of 40 men. Previous studies reported a higher incidence of epimutations at single CpG sites in the CTCF-binding region 6 of H19 in infertile patients. DBS analysis of this locus, however, revealed an association between DNA methylation levels and genotype (rs2071094), but not fertility phenotype. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that somatic DNA contamination and genetic variation confound methylation studies in sperm of infertile men. While we cannot exclude the existence of rare patients with slightly abnormal sperm methylation at non-recurrent CpG sites, the prevalence of aberrant methylation in swim-up purified sperm of infertile men has likely been overestimated, which is reassuring for patients undergoing assisted reproduction.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elsa Leitão
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Sara Di Persio
- Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Sandra Laurentino
- Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Marius Wöste
- Institute of Medical Informatics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Martin Dugas
- Institute of Medical Informatics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Sabine Kliesch
- Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, Department of Clinical and Surgical Andrology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Nina Neuhaus
- Centre of Reproductive Medicine and Andrology, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany.
| | - Bernhard Horsthemke
- Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,Institute of Human Genetics, University Hospital Münster, Münster, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
49
|
Ohnmacht J, May P, Sinkkonen L, Krüger R. Missing heritability in Parkinson's disease: the emerging role of non-coding genetic variation. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2020; 127:729-748. [PMID: 32248367 PMCID: PMC7242266 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-020-02184-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2020] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. For the stratification of PD patients and the development of advanced clinical trials, including causative treatments, a better understanding of the underlying genetic architecture of PD is required. Despite substantial efforts, genome-wide association studies have not been able to explain most of the observed heritability. The majority of PD-associated genetic variants are located in non-coding regions of the genome. A systematic assessment of their functional role is hampered by our incomplete understanding of genotype-phenotype correlations, for example through differential regulation of gene expression. Here, the recent progress and remaining challenges for the elucidation of the role of non-coding genetic variants is reviewed with a focus on PD as a complex disease with multifactorial origins. The function of gene regulatory elements and the impact of non-coding variants on them, and the means to map these elements on a genome-wide level, will be delineated. Moreover, examples of how the integration of functional genomic annotations can serve to identify disease-associated pathways and to prioritize disease- and cell type-specific regulatory variants will be given. Finally, strategies for functional validation and considerations for suitable model systems are outlined. Together this emphasizes the contribution of rare and common genetic variants to the complex pathogenesis of PD and points to remaining challenges for the dissection of genetic complexity that may allow for better stratification, improved diagnostics and more targeted treatments for PD in the future.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jochen Ohnmacht
- LCSB, University of Luxembourg, Belvaux, Luxembourg
- Department of Life Sciences and Medicine (DLSM), University of Luxembourg, Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Patrick May
- LCSB, University of Luxembourg, Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Lasse Sinkkonen
- Department of Life Sciences and Medicine (DLSM), University of Luxembourg, Belvaux, Luxembourg
| | - Rejko Krüger
- LCSB, University of Luxembourg, Belvaux, Luxembourg.
- Luxembourg Institute of Health (LIH), Transversal Translational Medicine, Strassen, Luxembourg.
- Parkinson Research Clinic, Centre Hospitalier de Luxembourg (CHL), Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
| |
Collapse
|
50
|
Kiefer H, Perrier JP. DNA methylation in bull spermatozoa: evolutionary impacts, interindividual variability, and contribution to the embryo. CANADIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE 2020. [DOI: 10.1139/cjas-2019-0071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
The DNA methylome of spermatozoa results from a unique epigenetic reprogramming crucial for chromatin compaction and the protection of the paternal genetic heritage. Although bull semen is widely used for artificial insemination (AI), little is known about the sperm epigenome in cattle. The purpose of this review is to synthetize recent work on the bull sperm methylome in light of the knowledge accumulated in humans and model species. We will address sperm-specific DNA methylation features and their potential evolutionary impacts, with particular emphasis on hypomethylated regions and repetitive elements. We will review recent examples of interindividual variability and intra-individual plasticity of the bull sperm methylome as related to fertility and age, respectively. Finally, we will address paternal methylome reprogramming after fertilization, as well as the mechanisms potentially involved in epigenetic inheritance, and provide some examples of disturbances that alter the dynamics of reprogramming in cattle. Because the selection of AI bulls is closely based on their genotypes, we will also discuss the complex interplay between sequence polymorphism and DNA methylation, which represents both a difficulty in addressing the role of DNA methylation in shaping phenotypes and an opportunity to better understand genome plasticity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hélène Kiefer
- UMR BDR, INRA, ENVA, Université Paris Saclay, 78350 Jouy en-Josas, France
- UMR BDR, INRA, ENVA, Université Paris Saclay, 78350 Jouy en-Josas, France
| | - Jean-Philippe Perrier
- UMR BDR, INRA, ENVA, Université Paris Saclay, 78350 Jouy en-Josas, France
- UMR BDR, INRA, ENVA, Université Paris Saclay, 78350 Jouy en-Josas, France
| |
Collapse
|