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Gadd DA, Hillary RF, McCartney DL, Zaghlool SB, Stevenson AJ, Cheng Y, Fawns-Ritchie C, Nangle C, Campbell A, Flaig R, Harris SE, Walker RM, Shi L, Tucker-Drob EM, Gieger C, Peters A, Waldenberger M, Graumann J, McRae AF, Deary IJ, Porteous DJ, Hayward C, Visscher PM, Cox SR, Evans KL, McIntosh AM, Suhre K, Marioni RE. Epigenetic scores for the circulating proteome as tools for disease prediction. eLife 2022; 11:e71802. [PMID: 35023833 PMCID: PMC8880990 DOI: 10.7554/elife.71802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Protein biomarkers have been identified across many age-related morbidities. However, characterising epigenetic influences could further inform disease predictions. Here, we leverage epigenome-wide data to study links between the DNA methylation (DNAm) signatures of the circulating proteome and incident diseases. Using data from four cohorts, we trained and tested epigenetic scores (EpiScores) for 953 plasma proteins, identifying 109 scores that explained between 1% and 58% of the variance in protein levels after adjusting for known protein quantitative trait loci (pQTL) genetic effects. By projecting these EpiScores into an independent sample (Generation Scotland; n = 9537) and relating them to incident morbidities over a follow-up of 14 years, we uncovered 137 EpiScore-disease associations. These associations were largely independent of immune cell proportions, common lifestyle and health factors, and biological aging. Notably, we found that our diabetes-associated EpiScores highlighted previous top biomarker associations from proteome-wide assessments of diabetes. These EpiScores for protein levels can therefore be a valuable resource for disease prediction and risk stratification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danni A Gadd
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Robert F Hillary
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Daniel L McCartney
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Shaza B Zaghlool
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Education CityDohaQatar
- Computer Engineering Department, Virginia TechBlacksburgUnited States
| | - Anna J Stevenson
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Yipeng Cheng
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Chloe Fawns-Ritchie
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
- Department of Psychology, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Cliff Nangle
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Archie Campbell
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Robin Flaig
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Sarah E Harris
- Department of Psychology, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
- Lothian Birth Cohorts, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Rosie M Walker
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, Chancellor’s Building, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Liu Shi
- Department of Psychiatry, University of OxfordOxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Elliot M Tucker-Drob
- Department of Psychology, The University of Texas at AustinAustinUnited States
- Population Research Center, The University of Texas at AustinAustinUnited States
| | - Christian Gieger
- Research Unit Molecular Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental HealthNeuherbergGermany
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental HealthNeuherbergGermany
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), partner site Munich Heart AllianceMunichGermany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD)NeuherbergGermany
| | - Annette Peters
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental HealthNeuherbergGermany
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), partner site Munich Heart AllianceMunichGermany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD)NeuherbergGermany
| | - Melanie Waldenberger
- Research Unit Molecular Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental HealthNeuherbergGermany
- Institute of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental HealthNeuherbergGermany
- German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), partner site Munich Heart AllianceMunichGermany
| | - Johannes Graumann
- Scientific Service Group Biomolecular Mass Spectrometry, Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, W.G. Kerckhoff InstituteBad NauheimGermany
- German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK), Partner Site Rhine-Main, Max Planck Institute of Heart and Lung ResearchBad NauheimGermany
| | - Allan F McRae
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
| | - Ian J Deary
- Department of Psychology, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
- Lothian Birth Cohorts, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - David J Porteous
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Caroline Hayward
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
- Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Peter M Visscher
- Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of QueenslandBrisbaneAustralia
| | - Simon R Cox
- Department of Psychology, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
- Lothian Birth Cohorts, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Kathryn L Evans
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Andrew M McIntosh
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
- Division of Psychiatry, University of Edinburgh, Royal Edinburgh HospitalEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Karsten Suhre
- Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Education CityDohaQatar
| | - Riccardo E Marioni
- Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
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