Assessing the co-variability of DNA methylation across peripheral cells and tissues: Implications for the interpretation of findings in epigenetic epidemiology.

ABSTRACT: Most epigenome-wide association studies (EWAS) quantify DNA methylation (DNAm) in peripheral tissues such as whole blood to identify positions in the genome where variation is statistically associated with a trait or exposure. As whole blood comprises a mix of cell types, it is unclear whether trait-associated DNAm variation is specific to an individual cellular population. We collected three peripheral tissues (whole blood, buccal epithelial and nasal epithelial cells) from thirty individuals. Whole blood samples were subsequently processed using fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) to purify five constituent cell-types (monocytes, granulocytes, CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, and B cells). DNAm was profiled in all eight sample-types from each individual using the Illumina EPIC array. W

SUBMITTER: Hannon E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8011804 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature