Association of asthma and rhinitis with epigenetics of coronavirus related genes
Association of asthma and rhinitis with epigenetics of coronavirus related genes
Introduction: susceptibility factors for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) include sex and medical conditions such as asthma and rhinitis. DNA methylation (DNAm) is associated with asthma, rhinitis, and several viruses. We examined associations of asthma/rhinitis with DNAm at CpGs located on coronavirus related genes, and if these associations were sex-specific.
Methods: in total, n = 242 subjects aged 26 years from the Isle of Wight Birth Cohort were included in the study. Linear regressions were used to examine sex specific and non-specific associations of DNAm at CpGs on coronavirus related genes with asthma/rhinitis status. Associations of DNAm with gene expression in blood were assessed for functional relevance of identified CpGs.
Results: statistically significant interaction effects of asthma or rhinitis with sex were identified at 40 CpGs for asthma and 27 CpGs for rhinitis. At 21 CpGs, DNAm was associated with asthma, and at 45 CpGs with rhinitis, regardless of sex. Assessment of functional relevance of the identified CpGs indicated a potential of epigenetic regulatory functionality on gene activity at 14 CpGs for asthma and 17 CpGs for rhinitis, and of those 6 CpGs for asthma and 7 CpGs for rhinitis were likely to be sex-specific.
Conclusion: subjects with asthma/rhinitis may have altered susceptibility to COVID-19 due to changes in their DNAm associated with these conditions. Sex specificity on association of asthma/rhinitis with DNAm at certain CpGs, and on the association of DNAm at asthma/rhinitis-linked CpGs with gene expression have the potential to explain the reported sex-specificity in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality.
COVID-19, DNA methylation, IOWBC, asthma, gene expression, rhinitis, sex-specificity
Rathod, Aniruddha
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Rathod, Rutu
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Zhang, Hongmei
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Rahimabad, Parnian Kheirkhah
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Karmaus, Wilfried
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Arshad, Hasan
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29 September 2021
Rathod, Aniruddha
ad171ed4-9a16-436d-8811-26930180288b
Rathod, Rutu
4d0f6483-9248-4468-8d51-1e0e378b9cc4
Zhang, Hongmei
9f774048-54d6-4321-a252-3887b2c76db0
Rahimabad, Parnian Kheirkhah
2afee050-98f5-433f-b353-73ce7b5087ed
Karmaus, Wilfried
281d0e53-6b5d-4d38-9732-3981b07cd853
Arshad, Hasan
917e246d-2e60-472f-8d30-94b01ef28958
Rathod, Aniruddha, Rathod, Rutu, Zhang, Hongmei, Rahimabad, Parnian Kheirkhah, Karmaus, Wilfried and Arshad, Hasan
(2021)
Association of asthma and rhinitis with epigenetics of coronavirus related genes.
Epigenetics Insights, 14.
(doi:10.1177/25168657211039224).
Abstract
Introduction: susceptibility factors for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) include sex and medical conditions such as asthma and rhinitis. DNA methylation (DNAm) is associated with asthma, rhinitis, and several viruses. We examined associations of asthma/rhinitis with DNAm at CpGs located on coronavirus related genes, and if these associations were sex-specific.
Methods: in total, n = 242 subjects aged 26 years from the Isle of Wight Birth Cohort were included in the study. Linear regressions were used to examine sex specific and non-specific associations of DNAm at CpGs on coronavirus related genes with asthma/rhinitis status. Associations of DNAm with gene expression in blood were assessed for functional relevance of identified CpGs.
Results: statistically significant interaction effects of asthma or rhinitis with sex were identified at 40 CpGs for asthma and 27 CpGs for rhinitis. At 21 CpGs, DNAm was associated with asthma, and at 45 CpGs with rhinitis, regardless of sex. Assessment of functional relevance of the identified CpGs indicated a potential of epigenetic regulatory functionality on gene activity at 14 CpGs for asthma and 17 CpGs for rhinitis, and of those 6 CpGs for asthma and 7 CpGs for rhinitis were likely to be sex-specific.
Conclusion: subjects with asthma/rhinitis may have altered susceptibility to COVID-19 due to changes in their DNAm associated with these conditions. Sex specificity on association of asthma/rhinitis with DNAm at certain CpGs, and on the association of DNAm at asthma/rhinitis-linked CpGs with gene expression have the potential to explain the reported sex-specificity in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality.
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25168657211039224
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Accepted/In Press date: 23 July 2021
Published date: 29 September 2021
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
The authors are thankful to the nurses and staff at the David Hide Asthma and Research Allergy Centre, Isle of Wight, UK, for their help in recruitment and sample collections, and are thankful to all the cohort participants. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) research fund R01AI121226 (MPI: H. Zhang and J.W. Holloway) and by NIH research fund R01HL132321 and R01AI091905 (PI: W. Karmaus). The Isle of Wight Birth Cohort assessments were supported by NIH research fund R01HL082925 (PI: H. Arshad), Asthma UK (Grant no. 364. S.H. Arshad), and the David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Trust.
Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) research fund R01AI121226 (MPI: H. Zhang and J.W. Holloway) and by NIH research fund R01HL132321 and R01AI091905 (PI: W. Karmaus). The Isle of Wight Birth Cohort assessments were supported by NIH research fund R01HL082925 (PI: H. Arshad), Asthma UK (Grant no. 364. S.H. Arshad), and the David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Trust.
Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2021.
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
Keywords:
COVID-19, DNA methylation, IOWBC, asthma, gene expression, rhinitis, sex-specificity
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Local EPrints ID: 453555
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/453555
ISSN: 2516-8657
PURE UUID: 8931a3c6-279c-4ab2-b9d1-3c101a51f25a
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Date deposited: 19 Jan 2022 17:46
Last modified: 16 Mar 2024 14:45
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Author:
Aniruddha Rathod
Author:
Rutu Rathod
Author:
Hongmei Zhang
Author:
Parnian Kheirkhah Rahimabad
Author:
Wilfried Karmaus
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