Epigenome-Wide Study Identified Methylation Sites Associated with the Risk of Obesity

Nutrients

Robert Dent¹  Sepehr Ravati²  Ruth McPherson³  Majid Nikpay³ 

[1] Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, University of Ottawa, the Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON K1Y 4E9, Canada;Plastenor Technologies Company, Montreal, QC H2P 2G4, Canada;Ruddy Canadian Cardiovascular Genetics Centre, University of Ottawa Heart Institute, 40 Ruskin St–H4208, Ottawa, ON K1Y 4W7, Canada;

关键词: obesity;    EWAS;    epigenetics;    multiomics;    Mendelian randomization;   

DOI  :  10.3390/nu13061984

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Here, we performed a genome-wide search for methylation sites that contribute to the risk of obesity. We integrated methylation quantitative trait locus (mQTL) data with BMI GWAS information through a SNP-based multiomics approach to identify genomic regions where mQTLs for a methylation site co-localize with obesity risk SNPs. We then tested whether the identified site contributed to BMI through Mendelian randomization. We identified multiple methylation sites causally contributing to the risk of obesity. We validated these findings through a replication stage. By integrating expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) data, we noted that lower methylation at cg21178254 site upstream of CCNL1 contributes to obesity by increasing the expression of this gene. Higher methylation at cg02814054 increases the risk of obesity by lowering the expression of MAST3, whereas lower methylation at cg06028605 contributes to obesity by decreasing the expression of SLC5A11. Finally, we noted that rare variants within 2p23.3 impact obesity by making the cg01884057 site more susceptible to methylation, which consequently lowers the expression of POMC, ADCY3 and DNAJC27. In this study, we identify methylation sites associated with the risk of obesity and reveal the mechanism whereby a number of these sites exert their effects. This study provides a framework to perform an omics-wide association study for a phenotype and to understand the mechanism whereby a rare variant causes a disease.

【 授权许可】

Unknown