Integrative analysis identifies the association between CASZ1 methylation and ischemic stroke

Effects of CASZ1, WNT2B and PTPRG SNPs on stroke susceptibility in the Chinese Han population

BACKGROUND

Stroke is an important cause of death and disability worldwide, ranking second in the cause of death, and it is thought to be related to genetic factors. The purpose of our study is to investigate the association between CASZ1, WNT2B and PTPRG single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and stroke risk in the Chinese population.

METHODS

We recruited 1418 volunteers, comprised of 710 stroke cases and 708 controls in this study. We used MassARRAY iPLEX GOLD method to genotype the three SNPs on CASZ1, WNT2B and PTPRG. Logistic regression was used to analyse the association between these SNPs and stroke, and odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were then calculated. What's more, the interactions among SNPs were predicted by multi-factor dimensionality reduction (MDR) analysis.

RESULTS

This research demonstrated that CASZ1 rs880315 and PTPRG rs704341 were associated with reduced stroke susceptibility. More precisely, CASZ1 rs880315 was associated with reduced stroke susceptibility in people aged ≤64 years and women. PTPRG rs704341 was associated with reduced stroke susceptibility in people aged >64 years, women, non-smokers and non-drinkers. Conversely, WNT2B rs12037987 was related to elevated stroke susceptibility in people aged >64 years, women and non-smokers. In addition, CASZ1 rs880315, WNT2B rs12037987 and PTPRG rs704341 had a strong redundancy relationship.

CONCLUSION

Our study concludes that CASZ1 rs880315, WNT2B rs12037987 and PTPRG rs704341 are associated with stroke, and the study provides a basis for assessing genetic variants associated with stroke risk in the Han Chinese population.

Role of the CASZ1 transcription factor in tissue development and disease

The zinc finger transcription factor gene, CASZ1/Castor (Castor zinc finger 1), initially identified in Drosophila, plays a critical role in neural, cardiac, and cardiovascular development, exerting a complex, multifaceted influence on cell fate and tissue morphogenesis. During neurogenesis, CASZ1 exhibits dynamic expression from early embryonic development to the perinatal period, constituting a key regulator in this process. Additionally, CASZ1 controls the transition between neurogenesis and gliomagenesis. During human cardiovascular system development, CASZ1 is essential for cardiomyocyte differentiation, cardiac morphogenesis, and vascular morphology homeostasis and formation. The deletion or inactivation of CASZ1 mutations can lead to human developmental diseases or tumors, including congenital heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and neuroblastoma. CASZ1 can be used as a biomarker for disease prevention and diagnosis as well as a prognostic indicator for cancer. This review explores the unique functions of CASZ1 in tissue morphogenesis and associated diseases, offering new insights for elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying diseases and identifying potential therapeutic targets for disease prevention and treatment.

Association of CASZ1 genetic variants with stroke risk in the Chinese population

BACKGROUND

Stroke is a heterogeneous disease with multiple etiologies, placing a heavy burden on the world. Our purpose was to clarify the association between CASZ1 genetic variants and stroke risk in the Chinese population.

METHODS

The Agena MassARRAY platform effectively genotyped three single nucleotide polymorphisms of CASZ1 in recruited 591 stroke patients and 553 healthy controls. Logistic regression genetic models were employed to evaluate the relationship between CASZ1 polymorphisms and stroke risk through odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Then, the interaction between CASZ1 variants was detected by multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR). Moreover, functional enrichment analyses of the CASZ1 gene were performed by Metascape.

RESULTS

In this study, CASZ1 rs4845941 and rs778228 were significantly associated with an increased risk of stroke. In particular, the gender-stratified analysis also showed that rs778228 of CASZ1 had an association with higher stroke risk in females. The relationship between stroke susceptibility and the interaction models of rs4845941, rs778228, and rs17035539 forecasted by MDR were analyzed to improve the ability to predict stroke risk. Furthermore, we found CASZ1 and related genes might facilitate the occurrence of stroke.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated that CASZ1 genetic variants (rs4845941 and rs778228) contribute to the occurrence of stroke in the Chinese population, and therefore has important implications for treating and preventing stroke.

CASZ1: Current Implications in Cardiovascular Diseases and Cancers

Castor zinc finger 1 (CASZ1) is a C2H2 zinc finger family protein that has two splicing variants, CASZ1a and CASZ1b. It is involved in multiple physiological processes, such as tissue differentiation and aldosterone antagonism. Genetic and epigenetic alternations of CASZ1 have been characterized in multiple cardiovascular disorders, such as congenital heart diseases, chronic venous diseases, and hypertension. However, little is known about how CASZ1 mechanically participates in the pathogenesis of these diseases. Over the past decades, at first glance, paradoxical influences on cell behaviors and progressions of different cancer types have been discovered for CASZ1, which may be explained by a "double-agent" role for CASZ1. In this review, we discuss the physiological function of CASZ1, and focus on the association of CASZ1 aberrations with the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases and cancers.

The genetic landscape and clinical implication of pediatric Moyamoya angiopathy in an international cohort

Pediatric Moyamoya Angiopathy (MMA) is a progressive intracranial occlusive arteriopathy that represents a leading cause of transient ischemic attacks and strokes in childhood. Despite this, up to now no large, exclusively pediatric MMA cohort has been subjected to systematic genetic investigation. In this study, we performed molecular karyotyping, exome sequencing and automated structural assessment of missense variants on a series of 88 pediatric MMA patients and correlated genetic, angiographic and clinical (stroke burden) findings. The two largest subgroups in our cohort consisted of RNF213 and neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) patients. While deleterious RNF213 variants were associated with a severe MMA clinical course with early symptom onset, frequent posterior cerebral artery involvement and higher stroke rates in multiple territories, NF1 patients had a similar infarct burden compared to non-NF1 individuals and were often diagnosed incidentally during routine MRIs. Additionally, we found that MMA-associated RNF213 variants have lower predicted functional impact compared to those associated with aortic disease. We also raise the question of MMA as a feature of recurrent as well as rare chromosomal imbalances and further support the possible association of MMA with STAT3 deficiency. In conclusion, we provide a comprehensive characterization at the genetic and clinical level of a large exclusively pediatric MMA population. Due to the clinical differences found across genetic subgroups, we propose genetic testing for risk stratification as part of the routine assessment of pediatric MMA patients.

Effects of vitamin B12 deficiency on risk and outcome of ischemic stroke

Ischemic stroke is the most prevalent form of stroke and has a high incidence in older adults, characterized by high morbidity, mortality, disability, and recurrence rate. Vitamin B₁₂ deficiency is prevalent in the elderly and has been reported to be associated with ischemic stroke. The mechanisms maybe include the disorder of methylation metabolism, accumulation of toxic metabolites, immune dysfunction, affecting gut microbial composition and gut-brain immune homeostasis, and toxic stress responses to the brain. Vitamin B₁₂ deficiency may lead to cerebral artery atherosclerosis, change myelination, influence the metabolism and transmission between nerve tissue, and ultimately causes the occurrence and development of ischemic stroke. This paper reviews the correlation between vitamin B₁₂ deficiency and ischemic stroke, looking forward to improving clinicians' understanding and providing new therapeutic directions for ischemic stroke.

DNA methylation and cardiovascular disease in humans: a systematic review and database of known CpG methylation sites

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide and considered one of the most environmentally driven diseases. The role of DNA methylation in response to the individual exposure for the development and progression of CVD is still poorly understood and a synthesis of the evidence is lacking.

RESULTS

A systematic review of articles examining measurements of DNA cytosine methylation in CVD was conducted in accordance with PRISMA (preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses) guidelines. The search yielded 5,563 articles from PubMed and CENTRAL databases. From 99 studies with a total of 87,827 individuals eligible for analysis, a database was created combining all CpG-, gene- and study-related information. It contains 74,580 unique CpG sites, of which 1452 CpG sites were mentioned in ≥ 2, and 441 CpG sites in ≥ 3 publications. Two sites were referenced in ≥ 6 publications: cg01656216 (near ZNF438) related to vascular disease and epigenetic age, and cg03636183 (near F2RL3) related to coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, smoking and air pollution. Of 19,127 mapped genes, 5,807 were reported in ≥ 2 studies. Most frequently reported were TEAD1 (TEA Domain Transcription Factor 1) and PTPRN2 (Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase Receptor Type N2) in association with outcomes ranging from vascular to cardiac disease. Gene set enrichment analysis of 4,532 overlapping genes revealed enrichment for Gene Ontology molecular function "DNA-binding transcription activator activity" (q = 1.65 × 10^-11) and biological processes "skeletal system development" (q = 1.89 × 10^-23). Gene enrichment demonstrated that general CVD-related terms are shared, while "heart" and "vasculature" specific genes have more disease-specific terms as PR interval for "heart" or platelet distribution width for "vasculature." STRING analysis revealed significant protein-protein interactions between the products of the differentially methylated genes (p = 0.003) suggesting that dysregulation of the protein interaction network could contribute to CVD. Overlaps with curated gene sets from the Molecular Signatures Database showed enrichment of genes in hemostasis (p = 2.9 × 10^-6) and atherosclerosis (p = 4.9 × 10^-4).

CONCLUSION

This review highlights the current state of knowledge on significant relationship between DNA methylation and CVD in humans. An open-access database has been compiled of reported CpG methylation sites, genes and pathways that may play an important role in this relationship.

Integration of Mendelian randomisation and systems biology models to identify novel blood-based biomarkers for stroke

Stroke is the second largest cause of mortality in the world. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified some genetic variants associated with stroke risk, but their putative functional causal genes are unknown. Hence, we aimed to identify putative functional causal gene biomarkers of stroke risk. We used a summary-based Mendelian randomisation (SMR) approach to identify the pleiotropic associations of genetically regulated traits (i.e., gene expression and DNA methylation) with stroke risk. Using SMR approach, we integrated cis-expression quantitative loci (cis-eQTLs) and cis-methylation quantitative loci (cis-mQTLs) data with GWAS summary statistics of stroke. We also utilised heterogeneity in dependent instruments (HEIDI) test to distinguish pleiotropy from linkage from the observed associations identified through SMR analysis. Our integrative SMR analyses and HEIDI test revealed 45 candidate biomarker genes (FDR < 0.05; P_HEIDI>0.01) that were pleiotropically or potentially causally associated with stroke risk. Of those candidate biomarker genes, 10 genes (HTRA1, PMF1, FBN2, C9orf84, COL4A1, BAG4, NEK6, SH2B3, SH3PXD2A, ACAD10) were differentially expressed in genome-wide blood transcriptomics data from stroke and healthy individuals (FDR<0.05). Functional enrichment analysis of the identified candidate biomarker genes revealed gene ontologies and pathways involved in stroke, including "cell aging", "metal ion binding" and "oxidative damage". Based on the evidence of genetically regulated expression of genes through SMR and directly measured expression of genes in blood, our integrative analysis suggests ten genes as blood biomarkers of stroke risk. Furthermore, our study provides a better understanding of the influence of DNA methylation on the expression of genes linked to stroke risk.

CASZ1: a promising factor modulating aldosterone biosynthesis and mineralocorticoid receptor activity

Hypertension is the definitive risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Primary aldosteronism (PA), a typical form of secondary hypertension, is responsible for treatment-resistant hypertension and carries an even higher risk of causing cardiovascular complications than essential hypertension. Several genes involved in the pathogenesis of hypertension have been identified recently using genome-wide association studies (GWASs). Among these, castor zinc finger 1(CASZ1) is considered to be involved in the pathophysiology of hypertension via modulation of aldosterone action. In 2021, using a biochemical approach with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis, we identified CASZ1b, an isoform of CASZ1, as a novel mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) coregulator. Our further analysis revealed that CASZ1b is coexpressed with MR in MR targets such as kidney tubule cells, and that a decrease in CASZ1 protein levels promotes aldosterone-dependent transcriptional activity of MR. Further, a recent study of GWAS on PA identified CASZ1 to be a PA-related gene and demonstrated that overexpression of CASZ1 suppresses aldosterone biosynthesis in adrenal cells. These results suggest CASZ1 plays a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of hypertension and PA via dual mechanisms: aldosterone biosynthesis and transcriptional activity of MR.

Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) methylation and obesity: A Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) play an important role in the energy metabolism. Whether there is a causal relationship between JAK2 methylation levels and obesity remains unclear. Based on the instrumental variables of 5 SNP sites, this study was aimed to explore the causal relationship between JAK2 methylation levels and obesity by Mendelian randomization analysis.

METHODS AND RESULTS

A total of 1021 participants (511 cases and 510 controls defined by body mass index (BMI) ≥ 28.0 kg/m²) was conducted from the Henan Rural Cohort study. SNPscan® was performed to test the SNP genotyping and MethylTarget™ was applied to detect the DNA methylation level. The logistic regression model was used to evaluate the associations between SNP or methylation of JAK2 and obesity (according to BMI). Mendelian randomization analysis was used to assess the potential causal association between JAK2 methylation and obesity. According to the logistic regression model, 1 CpG sit in the promotor was related to an increased risk of obesity (P < 0.05). 10 CpG sites in the exon were associated with decreased risk of obesity (P < 0.05). Mendelian randomization analysis showed a causal association between the methylated level of JAK2 and obesity, based on the instrumental variables of 5 SNPs (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

This study supported that the methylation degree of JAK2 has a complex relationship with obesity, which might be related to the region of methylation. A causal relationship exists between the methylated level of JAK2 and obesity.