DNA methylation signatures of chronic low-grade inflammation are associated with complex diseases

Authors: WHI-EMPC Investigators, Symen Ligthart, CHARGE epigenetics of Coronary Heart Disease, Carola Marzi, Stella Aslibekyan, Michael Mendelson, Karen N. Conneely, Toshiko Tanaka, Elena Colicino, Lindsay L. Waite, Roby Joehanes, Weihua Guan, Jennifer A. Brody, Cathy E. Elks, Riccardo E. Marioni, Min A. Jhun, Golareh Agha, Jan Bressler, Cavin Ward‐Caviness, Brian H. Chen, Tianxiao Huan, Kelly M. Bakulski, Elias Salfati, Giovanni Fiorito, Simone Wahl, Katharina Schramm, Jin Sha, Dena Hernández, Allan C. Just, Jennifer A. Smith, Nona Sotoodehnia, Luke C. Pilling, James S. Pankow, Philip S. Tsao, Chunyu Liu, Wei Zhao, Simonetta Guarrera, Vasiliki Michopoulos, Alicia K. Smith, Marjolein J. Peters, David Melzer, Pantel Vokonas, Myriam Fornage, Holger Prokisch, Joshua C. Bis, Audrey Y. Chu, Christian Herder, Harald Grallert, Chen Yao, Sonia Shah, Allan F. McRae, Honghuang Lin, Steve Horvath, M. Daniele Fallin, Albert Hofman, Nicholas J. Wareham, Kerri L. Wiggins, Andrew P. Feinberg, John M. Starr, Peter M. Visscher, Joanne M. Murabito, Sharon L. R. Kardia, Devin Absher, Elisabeth B. Binder, Andrew B. Singleton, Stefania Bandinelli, Annette Peters, Mélanie Waldenberger, Giuseppe Matullo, Joel Schwartz, Ellen W. Demerath, André G. Uitterlinden, Joyce B. J. van Meurs, Oscar H. Franco, Yii‐Der Ida Chen, Daniel Levy, Stephen T. Turner, Ian J. Deary, Kerry J. Ressler, Josée Dupuis, Luigi Ferrucci, Ken K. Ong, Themistocles L. Assimes, Eric Boerwinkle, Wolfgang Köenig, Donna K. Arnett, Andrea Baccarelli, Emelia J. Benjamin, Abbas Dehghan - Genome biology 2016 cited by 340

BACKGROUND: Chronic low-grade inflammation reflects a subclinical immune response implicated in the pathogenesis of complex diseases. Identifying genetic loci where DNA methylation is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation may reveal novel pathways or therapeutic targets for inflammation. RESULTS: ). An additive weighted score of replicated CpG sites accounted for up to 6% inter-individual variation (R2) of age-adjusted and sex-adjusted CRP, independent of known CRP-related genetic variants. CONCLUSION: We have completed an EWAS of chronic low-grade inflammation and identified many novel genetic loci underlying inflammation that may serve as targets for the development of novel therapeutic interventions for inflammation.