Swenson, B. R. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2020

Epigenome-wide association meta-analysis of DNA methylation with coffee and tea consumption

Coffee and tea are extensively consumed beverages worldwide. Observational studies have shown contradictory findings for the association between consumption of these beverages and different health outcomes. Epigenetics is suggested as a mechanism mediating the effects of dietary and lifestyle factors on disease onset. We conducted epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) on coffee and tea consumptions in 15,789 participants of European and African-American ancestries from 15 cohorts. EWAS meta-analysis revealed 11 CpG sites significantly associated with coffee consumption (P-value <1.1x10-7), nine of them annotated to the genes AHRR, F2RL3, FLJ43663, HDAC4, GFI1 and PHGDH, and two CpGs suggestively associated with tea consumption (P-value<5.0x10-6). Among these, cg14476101 was significantly associated with expression of its annotated gene PHGDH and risk of fatty liver disease. Knockdown of PHGDH expression in liver cells showed a correlation with expression levels of lipid-associated genes, suggesting a role of PHGDH in hepatic-lipid metabolism. Collectively, this study indicates that coffee consumption is associated with differential DNA methylation levels at multiple CpGs, and that coffee-associated epigenetic variations may explain the mechanism of action of coffee consumption in conferring disease risk.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2018

Genome-wide association meta-analysis of PR interval identifies 47 novel loci associated with atrial and atrioventricular electrical activity

Electrocardiographic PR interval measures atrial and atrioventricular depolarization and conduction, and abnormal PR interval is a risk factor for atrial fibrillation and heart block. We performed a genome-wide association study in over 92,000 individuals of European descent and identified 44 loci associated with PR interval (34 novel). Examination of the 44 loci revealed known and novel biological processes involved in cardiac atrial electrical activity, and genes in these loci were highly over-represented in several cardiac disease processes. Nearly half of the 61 independent index variants in the 44 loci were associated with atrial or blood transcript expression levels, or were in high linkage disequilibrium with one or more missense variants. Cardiac regulatory regions of the genome as measured by cardiac DNA hypersensitivity sites were enriched for variants associated with PR interval, compared to non-cardiac regulatory regions. Joint analyses combining PR interval with heart rate, QRS interval, and atrial fibrillation identified additional new pleiotropic loci. The majority of associations discovered in European-descent populations were also present in African-American populations. Meta-analysis examining over 105,000 individuals of African and European descent identified additional novel PR loci. These additional analyses identified another 13 novel loci. Together, these findings underscore the power of GWAS to extend knowledge of the molecular underpinnings of clinical processes.

genetics↗