Epigenome-wide association study of DNA methylation and microRNA expression highlights novel pathways for human complex traits.

ABSTRACT: DNA methylation (DNAm) and microRNAs (miRNAs) have been implicated in a wide-range of human diseases. While often studied in isolation, DNAm and miRNAs are not independent. We analyzed associations of expression of 283 miRNAs with DNAm at >400K CpG sites in whole blood obtained from 3565 individuals and identified 227 CpGs at which differential methylation was associated with the expression of 40 nearby miRNAs (cis-miR-eQTMs) at FDR<0.01, including 91 independent CpG sites at r² < 0.2. cis-miR-eQTMs were enriched for CpGs in promoter and polycomb-repressed state regions, and 60% were inversely associated with miRNA expression. Bidirectional Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis further identified 58 cis-miR-eQTMCpG-miRNA pairs where DNAm changes appea

SUBMITTER: Huan T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6961684 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan - Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature