Methylation QTLs are associated with coordinated changes in transcription factor binding, histone modifications, and gene expression levels [Bisulfite-array]

ABSTRACT: DNA methylation is an important epigenetic regulator of gene expression. Recent studies have revealed widespread associations between genetic variation and methylation levels. However, the mechanistic links between genetic variation and methylation remain unclear. To begin addressing this gap, we collected methylation data at ~300,000 loci in lymphoblastoid cell lines (LCLs) from 64 HapMap Yoruba individuals, and genome-wide bisulfite sequence data in ten of these individuals. We identified 11,752 methylation QTLs (meQTLs)—i.e., loci in which genetic variation is significantly associated with changes in DNA methylation. We found that meQTLs are frequently associated with changes in methylation at multiple CpGs across regions of up to 3 kb. Interestingly, meQTLs are also frequently associated with variation in other properties of gene regulation, including histone modifications, DNaseI accessibility, chromatin accessibility, and expression levels of nearby genes. These observations suggest a shared and coordinated molecular variation in all of these regulatory phenotypes. One plausible driver of coordinated changes in different regulatory mechanisms is variation in transcription factor (TF) binding. Indeed, we found that both changes in putative TF binding affinity and changes in the strength of TF binding footprints are associated with variation in DNA methylation near the TF binding sites. Considered together, our observations are consistent with a model whereby changes in TF binding may frequently drive coordinated changes in DNA methylation, histone modification, and gene expression levels. Bisulfite converted DNA from 64 individuals was hybridized to the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

SUBMITTER: Nicholas Banovich 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-57481 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress