1 3099 118 GENOMIC DNA METHYLATION SIGNATURES IN DIFFERENT TISSUES AFTER AMBIENT AIR PARTICULATE MATTER EXPOSURE. DNA METHYLATION (5-MC) IS ONE OF THE SEVERAL EPIGENETIC MARKERS, AND IS GENERALLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE INHIBITION OF GENE EXPRESSION. BOTH HYPER AND HYPO DNA METHYLATION ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THE DISEASES. EXPOSURE TO FINE PARTICLES WITH A DIAMETER OF 2.5 MUM OR LESS (PM(2.5)) IS A PERVASIVE RISK FACTOR FOR CARDIOPULMONARY MORTALITY, METABOLIC DISORDERS, COGNITION DAMAGE, AND ETC.. RECENT REPORTS POINTED TOWARD THAT THESE DISEASES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THE ALTERED DNA METHYLATION LEVEL OF SOME SPECIFIC-GENE, POTENTIALLY SUGGESTING THAT THE DNA METHYLATION ALTERATION WAS INVOLVED IN THE HEALTH HAZARD DERIVED FROM THE PM(2.5) EXPOSURE. IN THIS STUDY, WE SYSTEMATICALLY INVESTIGATED THE GLOBAL DNA METHYLATION LEVEL OF MOST TISSUES, INCLUDING LUNG, HEART, TESTIS, THYMUS, SPLEEN, EPIDIDYMAL FAT, HIPPOCAMPUS, KIDNEY, LIVE, AFTER SHORT AND LONG TERM PM(2.5) EXPOSURE. AFTER ACUTE PM(2.5) EXPOSURE, THE GLOBAL HYPO-METHYLATION IN DNA WAS OBSERVED IN LUNG AND HEART. NOTABLY, AFTER CHRONIC PM(2.5) EXPOSURE, LEVEL OF GLOBAL DNA METHYLATION DECREASED IN MOST ORGANS WHICH INCLUDED LUNG, TESTIS, THYMUS, SPLEEN, EPIDIDYMAL FAT, HIPPOCAMPUS AND BLOOD. THE PRESENT STUDY SYSTEMATICALLY DEMONSTRATED THE GLOBAL DNA METHYLATION CHANGES BY PM(2.5) EXPOSURE, AND PUT FORWARD A POSSIBLE ORIENTATION FOR FURTHER EXPLORING THE EFFECTS OF AMBIENT AIR PARTICLES EXPOSURE ON THE SPECIFIC ORGANS. 2019 2 6845 36 [METHYLATION STATUS OF APOPTOSIS GENES AND INTENSITY OF APOPTOTIC DEATH OF PERIPHERAL BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES IN PERSONS CHRONICALLY EXPOSED TO RADIATION]. METHYLATION OF THE CPG ISLANDS OF GENE PROMOTER REGIONS IS THE MOST COMMON EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION INVOLVED IN THE REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION. A NUMBER OF STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT IONIZING RADIATION CAN CAUSE BOTH HYPER- AND HYPOMETHYLATION OF DNA. ABERRANT METHYLATION AFFECTS CELLULAR PROCESSES AND CAN LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF VARIOUS PATHOLOGICAL STATES. IN THE LITERATURE, THERE ARE FEW STUDIES ON THE METHYLATION STATUS OF HUMAN DNA A LONG TIME AFTER RADIATION EXPOSURE. HERE, THE METHYLATION LEVEL OF CPG ISLANDS OF THE PROMOTER REGIONS OF APOPTOSIS GENES (BCL2, ATM, MDM2, CDKN1A, STAT3, AND NFKB1), AND ALSO ITS INFLUENCE ON APOPTOSIS OF PERIPHERAL BLOOD LYMPHOCYTES IN CHRONICALLY EXPOSED PERSONS WERE STUDIED. RESIDENTS OF THE SOUTH URAL REGION WHO WERE CHRONICALLY EXPOSED TO RADIATION (AFTER DISCHARGES OF RADIOACTIVE WASTES INTO THE TECHA RIVER BY THE "MAYAK PRODUCTION ASSOCIATION" IN 1949-1956) WERE INCLUDED IN THE STUDY. IT WAS ESTABLISHED THAT THE PROPORTION OF INDIVIDUALS WITH HYPERMETHYLATED BCL2 GENE PROMOTER AMONG THE EXPOSED PEOPLE WAS STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN IN THE CONTROL GROUP. THE PERCENTAGE OF METHYLATION OF THE ATM GENE PROMOTER WEAKLY POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH DOSE AND AGE CHARACTERISTICS. DIFFERENCES IN THE FREQUENCY OF LYMPHOCYTE APOPTOSIS IN EXPOSED INDIVIDUALS WITH A HYPO- OR HYPERMETHYLATED ATM GENE PROMOTER WERE ALSO ESTABLISHED. THE DATA INDICATE THAT, IN THE LONG-TERM, AFTER CHRONIC LOW INTENSITY RADIATION EXPOSURE AT LOW AND MEDIUM DOSES, EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS OF THE GENOME OCCUR, WHICH ARE MANIFESTED AS CHANGES IN METHYLATION OF PROMOTER REGIONS OF BCL2 AND ATM GENES. 2022 3 4217 29 METHYL DONOR NUTRIENTS IN CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE: IMPACT ON THE EPIGENETIC LANDSCAPE. EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS, SUCH AS THOSE LINKED TO DNA METHYLATION, MAY POTENTIALLY PROVIDE MOLECULAR EXPLANATIONS FOR COMPLICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERED GENE EXPRESSION IN ILLNESSES, SUCH AS CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD). ALTHOUGH BOTH DNA HYPO- AND HYPERMETHYLATION HAVE BEEN OBSERVED IN THE UREMIC MILIEU, THIS REMAINS ONLY A SINGLE ASPECT OF THE EPIGENETIC LANDSCAPE AND, THUS, OF ANY BIOCHEMICAL DYSREGULATION ASSOCIATED WITH CKD. NEVERTHELESS, THE ROLE OF UREMIA-PROMOTING ALTERATIONS ON THE EPIGENETIC LANDSCAPE REGULATING GENE EXPRESSION IS STILL A NOVEL AND SCARCELY STUDIED FIELD. ALTHOUGH FEW STUDIES HAVE ACTUALLY REPORTED ALTERATIONS OF DNA METHYLATION VIA METHYL DONOR NUTRIENT INTAKE, EMERGING EVIDENCE INDICATES THAT NUTRITIONAL MODIFICATION OF THE MICROBIOME CAN AFFECT ONE-CARBON METABOLISM AND THE CAPACITY TO METHYLATE THE GENOME IN CKD. IN THIS REVIEW, WE DISCUSS THE NUTRITIONAL MODIFICATIONS THAT MAY AFFECT ONE-CARBON METABOLISM AND THE POSSIBLE IMPACT OF METHYL DONOR NUTRIENTS ON THE MICROBIOME, CKD, AND ITS PHENOTYPE. 2019 4 1408 35 DIETARY INTAKE IS ASSOCIATED WITH RESPIRATORY HEALTH OUTCOMES AND DNA METHYLATION IN CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA. BACKGROUND: ASTHMA IS AN INCREASINGLY COMMON CHRONIC DISEASE AMONG CHILDREN, AND DATA POINT TOWARD A COMPLEX MECHANISM INVOLVING GENETIC, ENVIRONMENTAL AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS SUCH AS DNA HYPO- OR HYPER-METHYLATION HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO OCCUR IN RESPONSE TO ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURES INCLUDING DIETARY NUTRIENTS. METHODS: WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE ASTHMA RANDOMIZED TRIAL OF INDOOR WOOD SMOKE (ARTIS) STUDY, WE INVESTIGATED RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DIET, ASTHMA HEALTH MEASURES, AND DNA METHYLATION. ASTHMA HEALTH MEASURES INCLUDED A QUALITY OF LIFE INSTRUMENT, DIURNAL PEAK FLOW VARIABILITY (DPFV) AND FORCED EXPIRATORY VOLUME IN THE FIRST SECOND (FEV(1)). DIETARY INTAKE WAS ASSESSED WITH A FOOD FREQUENCY QUESTIONNAIRE. METHYLATION LEVELS OF LINE-1 REPETITIVE ELEMENT AND TWO PROMOTER CPG SITES FOR INTERFERON GAMMA (IFNGAMMA, -186 AND -54) FROM BUCCAL CELL DNA WERE MEASURED USING PYROSEQUENCING ASSAYS. RESULTS: DATA WERE COLLECTED ON 32 CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA LIVING IN WESTERN MONTANA WHO WERE RECRUITED TO THE ARTIS STUDY. SELENIUM AND SEVERAL METHYL DONOR DIETARY NUTRIENTS WERE POSITIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE ASTHMA QUALITY OF LIFE MEASURE. INTAKE OF METHYL DONATING NUTRIENTS INCLUDING FOLATE WAS POSITIVELY ASSOCIATED LINE-1 METHYLATION AND NEGATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH IFNGAMMA CPG-186. HIGHER LEVELS OF LINE-1 METHYLATION WERE ASSOCIATED WITH GREATER DPFV. CONCLUSION: WE IDENTIFIED SEVERAL NUTRIENTS THAT WERE ASSOCIATED WITH IMPROVED QUALITY OF LIFE MEASURES AMONG CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA. THE IFNGAMMA PROMOTER CPG SITE -186 BUT NOT -54 WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INTAKE OF SELECTED DIETARY NUTRIENTS. HOWEVER, IN THIS SMALL POPULATION OF CHILDREN WITH ASTHMA, THE IFNGAMMA PROMOTER CPG SITES WERE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH RESPIRATORY HEALTH MEASURES SO IT REMAINS UNCLEAR THROUGH WHICH EPIGENETIC MECHANISM THESE NUTRIENTS ARE IMPACTING THE QUALITY OF LIFE MEASURE. THESE FINDINGS ADD TO THE EVIDENCE THAT DIETARY NUTRIENTS, PARTICULARLY FOODS CONTAINING METHYL DONORS, MAY BE IMPORTANT FOR EPIGENETIC REGULATION AS IT PERTAINS TO THE CONTROL OF ASTHMA. TRIAL REGISTRATION CLINCIALTRIALS.GOV NCT00807183. REGISTERED 10 DECEMBER 2008. 2017 5 3455 32 HYPOMETHYLATION COORDINATES ANTAGONISTICALLY WITH HYPERMETHYLATION IN CANCER DEVELOPMENT: A CASE STUDY OF LEUKEMIA. BACKGROUND: METHYLATION CHANGES ARE FREQUENT IN CANCERS, BUT UNDERSTANDING HOW HYPER- AND HYPOMETHYLATED REGION CHANGES COORDINATE, ASSOCIATE WITH GENOMIC FEATURES, AND AFFECT GENE EXPRESSION IS NEEDED TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR BIOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE. THE FUNCTIONAL SIGNIFICANCE OF HYPERMETHYLATION IS WELL STUDIED, BUT THAT OF HYPOMETHYLATION REMAINS LIMITED. HERE, WITH PAIRED EXPRESSION AND METHYLATION SAMPLES GATHERED FROM A PATIENT/CONTROL COHORT, WE ATTEMPT TO BETTER CHARACTERIZE THE GENE EXPRESSION AND METHYLATION CHANGES THAT TAKE PLACE IN CANCER FROM B CELL CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTE LEUKEMIA (B-CLL) SAMPLES. RESULTS: ACROSS THE DATASET, WE FOUND THAT CONSISTENT DIFFERENTIALLY HYPOMETHYLATED REGIONS (C-DMRS) ACROSS SAMPLES WERE RELATIVELY FEW COMPARED TO THE MANY POORLY CONSISTENT HYPO- AND HIGHLY CONSERVED HYPER-DMRS. HOWEVER, GENES IN THE HYPO-C-DMRS TENDED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH FUNCTIONS ANTAGONISTIC TO THOSE IN THE HYPER-C-DMRS, LIKE DIFFERENTIATION, CELL-CYCLE REGULATION AND PROLIFERATION, SUGGESTING COORDINATED REGULATION OF METHYLATION CHANGES. HYPO-C-DMRS IN B-CLL WERE FOUND ENRICHED IN KEY SIGNALING PATHWAYS LIKE B CELL RECEPTOR AND P53 PATHWAYS AND GENES/MOTIFS ESSENTIAL FOR B LYMPHOPOIESIS. HYPO-C-DMRS TENDED TO BE PROXIMAL TO GENES WITH ELEVATED EXPRESSION IN CONTRAST TO THE TRANSCRIPTION SILENCING-MECHANISM IMPOSED BY HYPERMETHYLATION. HYPO-C-DMRS TENDED TO BE ENRICHED IN THE REGIONS OF ACTIVATING H4K4ME1/2/3, H3K79ME2, AND H3K27AC HISTONE MODIFICATIONS. IN COMPARISON, THE POLYCOMB REPRESSIVE COMPLEX 2 (PRC2) SIGNATURE, MARKED BY EZH2, SUZ12, CTCF BINDING-SITES, REPRESSIVE H3K27ME3 MARKS, AND "REPRESSED/POISED PROMOTER" STATES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH HYPER-C-DMRS. MOST HYPO-C-DMRS WERE FOUND IN INTRONS (36 %), 3' UNTRANSLATED REGIONS (29 %), AND INTERGENIC REGIONS (24 %). MANY OF THESE GENIC REGIONS ALSO OVERLAPPED WITH ENHANCERS. THE METHYLATION OF CPGS FROM 3'UTR EXONS WAS FOUND TO HAVE WEAK BUT POSITIVE CORRELATION WITH GENE EXPRESSION. IN CONTRAST, METHYLATION IN THE 5'UTR WAS NEGATIVELY CORRELATED WITH EXPRESSION. TO BETTER CHARACTERIZE THE OVERLAP BETWEEN METHYLATION AND EXPRESSION CHANGES, WE IDENTIFIED CORRELATION MODULES THAT ASSOCIATE WITH "APOPTOSIS" AND "LEUKOCYTE ACTIVATION". CONCLUSIONS: DESPITE CLINICAL HETEROGENEITY IN DISEASE PRESENTATION, A NUMBER OF METHYLATION CHANGES, BOTH HYPO AND HYPER, APPEAR TO BE COMMON IN B-CLL. HYPOMETHYLATION APPEARS TO PLAY AN ACTIVE, TARGETED, AND COMPLEMENTARY ROLE IN CANCER PROGRESSION, AND IT INTERPLAYS WITH HYPERMETHYLATION IN A COORDINATED FASHION IN THE CANCER PROCESS. 2016 6 253 39 ADVANCES AND PERSPECTIVES FROM GENETIC RESEARCH: DEVELOPMENT OF BIOLOGICAL MARKERS IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE. DESPITE IMPORTANT RECENT ADVANCES, A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF THE (GENETIC) ETIOLOGY OF ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE (AD) IS STILL A LONG WAY OFF. LARGE COLLABORATIVE EFFORTS ARE ONGOING, AS WELL AS THE EXPLORATION OF VARIOUS SOURCES OF GENETIC VARIATION. EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THE VIEW THAT MENDELIAN EARLY-ONSET FAMILIAL FORMS OF AD ARE CAUSED BY RARE AND USUALLY HIGHLY PENETRANT MUTATIONS IN THREE GENES (APP, PSEN1 AND PSEN2). CONSIDERING SPORADIC LATE-ONSET AD (LOAD), THE APOE EPSILON4 ALLELE IS BY FAR THE BEST-ESTABLISHED RISK GENE. RECENTLY PUBLISHED LARGE-SCALE GENOME-WIDE ANALYSES POINT TO ADDITIONALLY RELEVANT GENETICALLY ASSOCIATED LOCI, PARTICULARLY CLU, PICALM AND CR1. THESE SUSCEPTIBILITY LOCI SUPPORT EXISTING HYPOTHESES ABOUT THE AMYLOID, LIPID, CHAPERONE AND CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY MECHANISMS IN AD PATHOGENESIS, AND ARE THEREFORE LIKELY TO PROVIDE THE BASIS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF HYPOTHESIS-DRIVEN NOVEL BIOMARKER CANDIDATES. ADDITIONAL GENES, LISTED ONLINE IN ALZGENE (E.G., GAB2 OR SORL1) HAVE REPEATEDLY SHOWN RISK EFFECTS IN LOAD, AND MAY BE TRUE RISK GENES, BUT THIS IS MUCH LESS CERTAIN. NEW EPIGENETIC RESEARCH PROVIDED SOME EVIDENCE THAT DNA MODIFICATIONS MAYBE INVOLVED IN LOAD (E.G., POST-MORTEM STUDIES DESCRIBED BOTH HYPO- AND HYPER-METHYLATION IN AD-RELATED SUSCEPTIBILITY GENES). WITH RESPECT TO BIOMARKERS, ELDERLY NONDEMENTED APOE EPSILON4 CARRIERS DEMONSTRATED DISTINCT CEREBROSPINAL FLUID BIOMARKER SIGNATURES AND ALTERATIONS OF BRAIN GLUCOSE METABOLISM SIMILAR TO THOSE OBSERVED IN AD. FUTURE RESEARCH SHOULD EVALUATE THE USEFULNESS OF NEWLY DETECTED AD RISK GENES AND EPIGENETIC CHANGES AS POTENTIAL BIOMARKERS TOWARDS GENETIC PROFILING OF AD OR FOR CORRELATION WITH ENDOPHENOTYPES AND THERAPEUTIC OUTCOME. 2010 7 4010 34 LOW MATERNAL ADHERENCE TO A MEDITERRANEAN DIET IS ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASE IN METHYLATION AT THE MEG3-IG DIFFERENTIALLY METHYLATED REGION IN FEMALE INFANTS. DIET IS DICTATED BY THE SURROUNDING ENVIRONMENT, AS FOOD ACCESS AND AVAILABILITY MAY CHANGE DEPENDING ON WHERE ONE LIVES. MATERNAL DIET DURING PREGNANCY IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE IN UTERO ENVIRONMENT, AND MAY AFFECT THE EPIGENOME. STUDIES LOOKING AT OVERALL DIET PATTERN IN RELATION TO DNA METHYLATION HAVE BEEN LACKING. THE MEDITERRANEAN DIET IS KNOWN FOR ITS HEALTH BENEFITS, INCLUDING DECREASED INFLAMMATION, WEIGHT LOSS, AND MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC DISEASES. THIS STUDY ASSESSES THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN MATERNAL ADHERENCE TO A MEDITERRANEAN DIET PATTERN DURING PREGNANCY AND INFANT DNA METHYLATION AT BIRTH. MEDITERRANEAN DIET ADHERENCE IN EARLY PREGNANCY WAS MEASURED IN 390 WOMEN ENROLLED IN THE NEWBORN EPIGENETIC STUDY, AND DNA METHYLATION WAS ASSESSED IN THEIR INFANTS AT BIRTH. MULTINOMIAL LOGISTIC REGRESSION WAS USED TO ASSESS THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN ADHERENCE TO A MEDITERRANEAN DIET AND INFANT METHYLATION AT THE MEG3, MEG3-IG, PLEIOMORPHIC ADENOMA GENE-LIKE 1, INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR 2 GENE, H19, MESODERM-SPECIFIC TRANSCRIPT, NEURONATIN, PATERNALLY EXPRESSED GENE 3, SARCOGLYCAN AND PATERNALLY EXPRESSED GENE 10 REGIONS, MEASURED BY PYROSEQUENCING. INFANTS OF MOTHERS WITH A LOW ADHERENCE TO A MEDITERRANEAN DIET HAD A GREATER ODDS OF HYPO-METHYLATION AT THE MEG3-IG DIFFERENTIALLY METHYLATED REGION (DMR). SEX-STRATIFIED MODELS SHOWED THAT THIS ASSOCIATION WAS PRESENT IN GIRLS ONLY. THIS STUDY PROVIDES EARLY EVIDENCE ON THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN OVERALL DIET PATTERN AND METHYLATION AT THE 9 DMRS INCLUDED IN THIS STUDY, AND SUGGESTS THAT MATERNAL DIET CAN HAVE A SEX-SPECIFIC IMPACT ON INFANT DNA METHYLATION AT SPECIFIC IMPRINTED DMRS. 2017 8 3063 40 GENOME-WIDE DNA METHYLATION AND LONG-TERM AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE IN KOREAN ADULTS. BACKGROUND: AMBIENT AIR POLLUTION IS ASSOCIATED WITH NUMEROUS ADVERSE HEALTH OUTCOMES, BUT THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS ARE NOT WELL UNDERSTOOD; EPIGENETIC EFFECTS INCLUDING ALTERED DNA METHYLATION COULD PLAY A ROLE. TO EVALUATE ASSOCIATIONS OF LONG-TERM AIR POLLUTION EXPOSURE WITH DNA METHYLATION IN BLOOD, WE CONDUCTED AN EPIGENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDY IN A KOREAN CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE COHORT (N = 100 INCLUDING 60 CASES) USING ILLUMINA'S INFINIUM HUMANMETHYLATION450K BEADCHIP. ANNUAL AVERAGE CONCENTRATIONS OF PARTICULATE MATTER 100 MILLION PEOPLE GLOBALLY AND INCREASES RISK FOR CHRONIC DISEASES. ONE POSSIBLE TOXICITY MECHANISM IS EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION. PREVIOUS EPIGENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES (EWAS) HAVE IDENTIFIED ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN ARSENIC EXPOSURE AND CPG-SPECIFIC DNA METHYLATION. TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE THAT OBSERVED ASSOCIATIONS REPRESENT CAUSAL RELATIONSHIPS, WE EXAMINE THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN GENETIC DETERMINANTS OF ARSENIC METABOLISM EFFICIENCY (PERCENT DIMETHYLARSINIC ACID, DMA%, IN URINE) AND DNA METHYLATION AMONG INDIVIDUALS FROM THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF ARSENIC LONGITUDINAL STUDY (N = 379) AND BANGLADESH VITAMIN E AND SELENIUM TRIAL (N = 393). METHODS: WE USED MULTIVARIATE LINEAR MODELS TO ASSESS THE ASSOCIATION OF METHYLATION AT 221 ARSENIC-ASSOCIATED CPGS WITH DMA% AND MEASURES OF GENETICALLY PREDICTED DMA% DERIVED FROM THREE SNPS (RS9527, RS11191527, AND RS61735836). WE ALSO CONDUCTED TWO-SAMPLE MENDELIAN RANDOMIZATION ANALYSES TO ESTIMATE THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN ARSENIC METABOLISM EFFICIENCY AND CPG METHYLATION. RESULTS: AMONG THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN DMA% AND METHYLATION AT EACH OF 221 CPGS, 64% WERE DIRECTIONALLY CONSISTENT WITH ASSOCIATIONS OBSERVED BETWEEN ARSENIC EXPOSURE AND THE 221 CPGS FROM A PRIOR EWAS. SIMILARLY, AMONG THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN GENETICALLY PREDICTED DMA% AND EACH CPG, 62% WERE DIRECTIONALLY CONSISTENT WITH THE PRIOR EWAS RESULTS. TWO-SAMPLE MENDELIAN RANDOMIZATION ANALYSES PRODUCED SIMILAR CONCLUSIONS. CONCLUSION: OUR FINDINGS SUPPORT THE HYPOTHESIS THAT ARSENIC EXPOSURE EFFECTS DNA METHYLATION AT SPECIFIC CPGS IN WHOLE BLOOD. OUR NOVEL APPROACH FOR ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF ARSENIC EXPOSURE ON DNA METHYLATION REQUIRES LARGER SAMPLES IN ORDER TO DRAW MORE ROBUST CONCLUSIONS FOR SPECIFIC CPG SITES. 2020 17 5882 33 SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF LUNG FUNCTION AND COPD WITH PERIPHERAL BLOOD DNA METHYLATION IN POPULATION BASED STUDIES. BACKGROUND: EPIGENETIC VARIATIONS IN PERIPHERAL BLOOD HAVE POTENTIAL AS BIOMARKERS FOR DISEASE. THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW ASSESSES THE ASSOCIATION OF LUNG FUNCTION AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD) WITH DNA METHYLATION PROFILES IN PERIPHERAL BLOOD FROM POPULATION-BASED STUDIES. METHODS: ONLINE DATABASES MEDLINE, EMBASE, AND WEB OF SCIENCE WERE SEARCHED. GOOGLE SCHOLAR WAS SEARCHED TO IDENTIFY GREY LITERATURE. AFTER REMOVING DUPLICATE ARTICLES, 1155 ARTICLES WERE INDEPENDENTLY SCREENED BY TWO INVESTIGATORS. PEER REVIEWED REPORTS ON POPULATION-BASED STUDIES THAT EXAMINED PERIPHERAL BLOOD DNA METHYLATION IN PARTICIPANTS WITH MEASURED LUNG FUNCTION (FEV1, FEV1/FVC RATIO) OR KNOWN COPD STATUS WERE SELECTED FOR FULL-TEXT REVIEW. SIX ARTICLES WERE SUITABLE FOR INCLUSION. INFORMATION REGARDING STUDY CHARACTERISTICS, DESIGNS, METHODOLOGIES AND CONCLUSIONS WAS EXTRACTED. A NARRATIVE SYNTHESIS WAS PERFORMED BASED ON PUBLISHED RESULTS. RESULTS: THREE OF THE SIX ARTICLES ASSESSED THE ASSOCIATION OF COPD WITH DNA METHYLATION, AND TWO OF THESE ALSO INCLUDED ASSOCIATIONS WITH LUNG FUNCTION. OVERALL, FIVE REPORTS EXAMINED THE ASSOCIATION OF LUNG FUNCTION WITH DNA METHYLATION PROFILES. FIVE OF THE SIX ARTICLES REPORTED 'SIGNIFICANT' RESULTS. HOWEVER, NO CONSISTENT CPG SITES WERE IDENTIFIED ACROSS STUDIES FOR COPD STATUS OR LUNG FUNCTION VALUES. CONCLUSIONS: DNA METHYLATION PATTERNS IN PERIPHERAL BLOOD FROM INDIVIDUALS WITH REDUCED LUNG FUNCTION OR COPD MAY BE DIFFERENT TO THOSE IN PEOPLE WITH NORMAL LUNG FUNCTION. HOWEVER, THIS SYSTEMATIC REVIEW DID NOT FIND ANY CONSISTENT ASSOCIATIONS OF LUNG FUNCTION OR COPD WITH DIFFERENTIALLY METHYLATED CPG SITES. LARGE STUDIES WITH A LONGITUDINAL DESIGN TO ADDRESS REVERSE CAUSALITY MAY PROVE A MORE FRUITFUL AREA OF RESEARCH. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO 2016: CRD42016037352 . 2017 18 2633 38 EPIGENOME-WIDE DNA METHYLATION PATTERNS ASSOCIATED WITH FATIGUE IN PRIMARY SJOGREN'S SYNDROME. OBJECTIVE: CHRONIC FATIGUE IS A COMMON, DISABLING AND POORLY UNDERSTOOD PHENOMENON. RECENT STUDIES INDICATE THAT EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS MAY BE INVOLVED IN THE EXPRESSION OF FATIGUE, A PROMINENT FEATURE OF PRIMARY SS (PSS). THE AIM OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER DNA METHYLATION PROFILES OF WHOLE BLOOD ARE ASSOCIATED WITH FATIGUE IN PATIENTS WITH PSS. METHODS: FORTY-EIGHT PSS PATIENTS WITH HIGH (N = 24) OR LOW (N = 24) FATIGUE AS MEASURED BY A VISUAL ANALOGUE SCALE WERE INCLUDED. GENOME-WIDE DNA METHYLATION WAS INVESTIGATED USING THE ILLUMINA HUMANMETHYLATION450 BEADCHIP ARRAY. AFTER QUALITY CONTROL, A TOTAL OF 383 358 CYTOSINE-PHOSPHATE-GUANINE (CPG) SITES REMAINED FOR FURTHER ANALYSIS. AGE, SEX AND DIFFERENTIAL CELL COUNT ESTIMATES WERE INCLUDED AS COVARIATES IN THE ASSOCIATION MODEL. A FALSE DISCOVERY RATE-CORRECTED P < 0.05 WAS CONSIDERED SIGNIFICANT, AND A CUT-OFF OF 3% AVERAGE DIFFERENCE IN METHYLATION LEVELS BETWEEN HIGH- AND LOW-FATIGUE PATIENTS WAS APPLIED. RESULTS: A TOTAL OF 251 DIFFERENTIALLY METHYLATED CPG SITES WERE ASSOCIATED WITH FATIGUE. THE CPG SITE WITH THE MOST PRONOUNCED HYPOMETHYLATION IN PSS HIGH FATIGUE ANNOTATED TO THE SBF2-ANTISENSE RNA1 GENE. THE MOST DISTINCT HYPERMETHYLATION WAS OBSERVED AT A CPG SITE ANNOTATED TO THE LYMPHOTOXIN ALPHA GENE. FUNCTIONAL PATHWAY ANALYSIS OF GENES WITH DIFFERENTLY METHYLATED CPG SITES IN SUBJECTS WITH HIGH VS LOW FATIGUE REVEALED ENRICHMENT IN SEVERAL PATHWAYS ASSOCIATED WITH INNATE AND ADAPTIVE IMMUNITY. CONCLUSION: SOME GENES INVOLVED IN REGULATION OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND IN INFLAMMATION ARE DIFFERENTLY METHYLATED IN PSS PATIENTS WITH HIGH VS LOW FATIGUE. THESE FINDINGS POINT TO FUNCTIONAL NETWORKS THAT MAY UNDERLIE FATIGUE. EPIGENETIC CHANGES COULD CONSTITUTE A FATIGUE-REGULATING MECHANISM IN PSS. 2016 19 1563 32 DNA METHYLATION OF METHYLATION COMPLEX GENES IN RELATION TO STRESS AND GENOME-WIDE METHYLATION IN MOTHER-NEWBORN DYADS. OBJECTIVES: EARLY LIFE STRESS IS KNOWN TO HAVE ENDURING BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS, PARTICULARLY WITH RESPECT TO HEALTH. EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, SUCH AS DNA METHYLATION, ARE A POSSIBLE MECHANISM TO MEDIATE THE BIOLOGICAL EFFECT OF STRESS. WE PREVIOUSLY FOUND CORRELATIONS BETWEEN MATERNAL STRESS, NEWBORN BIRTHWEIGHT, AND GENOME-WIDE MEASURES OF DNA METHYLATION. HERE WE INVESTIGATE TEN GENES RELATED TO THE METHYLATION/DEMETHYLATION COMPLEX IN ORDER TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF STRESS ON HEALTH. MATERIALS AND METHODS: DNA METHYLATION AND GENETIC VARIANTS AT METHYLATION/DEMETHYLATION GENES WERE ASSAYED. MEAN METHYLATION MEASURES WERE CONSTRUCTED FOR EACH GENE AND TESTED, IN ADDITION TO GENETIC VARIANTS, FOR ASSOCIATION WITH MATERNAL STRESS MEASURES BASED ON INTERVIEW AND SURVEY DATA (CHRONIC STRESS AND WAR TRAUMA), MATERNAL VENOUS, AND NEWBORN CORD GENOME-WIDE MEAN METHYLATION (GMM), AND BIRTHWEIGHT. RESULTS: AFTER CELL TYPE CORRECTION, WE FOUND MULTIPLE PAIRWISE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN WAR TRAUMA, MATERNAL GMM, MATERNAL METHYLATION AT DNMT1, DNMT3A, TET3, AND MBD2, AND BIRTHWEIGHT. CONCLUSIONS: THE ASSOCIATION OF MATERNAL GMM AND MATERNAL METHYLATION AT DNMT1, DNMT3A, TET3, AND MBD2 IS CONSISTENT WITH THE ROLE OF THESE GENES IN ESTABLISHING, MAINTAINING AND ALTERING GENOME-WIDE METHYLATION PATTERNS, IN SOME CASES IN RESPONSE TO STRESS. DNMT1 PRODUCES ONE OF THE PRIMARY ENZYMES THAT REPRODUCES METHYLATION PATTERNS DURING DNA REPLICATION. DNMT3A AND TET3 HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED IN GENOME-WIDE HYPOMETHYLATION IN RESPONSE TO GLUCOCORTICOID HORMONES. ALTHOUGH WE CANNOT DETERMINE THE DIRECTIONALITY OF THE GENIC AND GENOME-WIDE CHANGES IN METHYLATION, OUR RESULTS SUGGEST THAT ALTERED METHYLATION OF SPECIFIC METHYLATION GENES MAY BE PART OF THE MOLECULAR MECHANISM UNDERLYING THE HUMAN BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE TO STRESS. 2018 20 1833 21 EFFECTS OF METHYL DONOR DIETS ON INCISIONAL PAIN IN MICE. BACKGROUND: DIETARY SUPPLEMENTATION WITH METHYL DONORS CAN INFLUENCE THE PROGRAMMING OF EPIGENETIC PATTERNS RESULTING IN PERSISTENT ALTERATIONS IN DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY AND BEHAVIOR. HOWEVER, THE DIETARY EFFECTS OF METHYL DONORS ON PAIN HAVE NOT BEEN EXPLORED. IN THIS STUDY, WE EVALUATED THE EFFECTS OF DIETARY METHYL DONOR CONTENT ON PAIN RESPONSES IN MICE. METHODS: MALE AND FEMALE C57BL/6J MICE WERE TREATED WITH HIGH OR LOW METHYL DONOR DIETS EITHER IN THE PERINATAL PERIOD OR AFTER WEANING. MECHANICAL AND THERMAL NOCICEPTIVE SENSITIVITY WERE MEASURED BEFORE AND AFTER INCISION. RESULTS: MICE FED HIGH OR LOW METHYL DONOR DIETS DISPLAYED EQUAL WEIGHT GAIN OVER THE COURSE OF THE EXPERIMENTS. WHEN EXPOSED TO THESE DIETARY MANIPULATIONS IN THE PERINATAL PERIOD, ONLY MALE OFFSPRING OF DAMS FED A HIGH METHYL DONOR DIET DISPLAYED INCREASED MECHANICAL ALLODYNIA. HINDPAW INCISION IN THESE ANIMALS CAUSED ENHANCED NOCICEPTIVE SENSITIZATION, BUT DIETARY HISTORY DID NOT AFFECT THE DURATION OF SENSITIZATION. FOR MICE EXPOSED TO HIGH OR LOW METHYL DONOR DIETS AFTER WEANING, NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED IN MECHANICAL OR THERMAL NOCICEPTIVE SENSITIVITY EITHER AT BASELINE OR IN RESPONSE TO HINDPAW INCISION. CONCLUSIONS: PERINATAL DIETARY FACTORS SUCH AS METHYL DONOR CONTENT MAY IMPACT PAIN EXPERIENCES IN LATER LIFE. THESE EFFECTS, HOWEVER, MAY BE SPECIFIC TO SEX AND PAIN MODALITY. 2013