Epigenetic Marks as Peripheral Biomarkers of Autism
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ABSTRACT: Autism is a common disorder whose causes are poorly understood. Both genetic and environmental influences are thought to act together causing autism. Epigenetics is an area that bridges genetic and environmental influencing and commonly is studied by examining dynamic methylation changes to the DNA. We have screened a total of 78 autistic boys and their fathers by this method in 807 genes and find 116 methylation changes that together can correctly identify nearly 80% of the affected boys from their fathers. We propose to confirm these exciting data in a much larger set of genes in 1,200 autistic boys and their families, including unaffected brothers. These data not only could provide new insight into the causes of autism but could also result in a screening test for autism.
SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA202963PRJNA202964
REPOSITORIES: dbGaP
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Project description:<p>Autism is a common disorder whose causes are poorly understood. Both genetic and environmental influences are thought to act together causing autism. Epigenetics is an area that bridges genetic and environmental influencing and commonly is studied by examining dynamic methylation changes to the DNA. We have screened a total of 78 autistic boys and their fathers by this method in 807 genes and find 116 methylation changes that together can correctly identify nearly 80% of the affected boys from their fathers. We propose to confirm these exciting data in a much larger set of genes in 1,200 autistic boys and their families, including unaffected brothers. These data not only could provide new insight into the causes of autism but could also result in a screening test for autism.</p>
| phs000619.v1.p1 | EGA
Project description:Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased over ten-fold over the past several decades, and appears predominantly associated with paternal transmission. Although genetics is anticipated to be a component of ASD etiology, environmental epigenetics is now thought to be an important factor. Epigenetic alterations, such as DNA methylation have been correlated with ASD. The current study was designed to identify a DNA methylation signature in sperm as a potential biomarker to identify paternal offspring autism susceptibility. Sperm samples were obtained from fathers, many undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures, that have children with or without autism, and the sperm then assessed for alterations in DNA methylation. Differential DNA methylation regions (DMRs) were identified in the sperm of fathers with autistic children in comparison to those without ASD children. An MeDIP-seq procedure was used to identify DMRs. The genomic features and genes associated with the DMRs were identified. The potential sperm DMR biomarker was validated with a blinded test set of individuals. Observations demonstrate a significant set of DMRs in sperm can potentially act as a biomarker for paternal offspring autism susceptibility.
2020-12-01 | GSE157417 | GEO
Project description:In this project, the effects of a 20-week exercise intervention on whole blood genome-wide DNA methylation signatures (CpG sites level) in boys and girls with overweight/obesity (OW/OB) were investigated. Twenty-three children (10.05 ± 1.39 years, 56% girls) with OW/OB, were randomized to either a 20-week exercise intervention (exercise group [EG]; n=10; 4 boys/ 6 girls), or to usual lifestyle (control group [CG] (n=13; 6 boys/ 7 girls). Whole blood genome-wide DNA methylation and transcriptome profile (RNA-seq) analyses were performed before and after the intervention period. Changes in the DNA methylation sites of 485 and 386 CpGs were induced by the exercise intervention (compared to the control group) in boys and girls respectively (p < 0.001). These CpG sites mapped to loci enriched in distinct gene pathways related to metabolic diseases, fatty acid metabolism, and immune function in boys or girls (p < 0.05). In boys, changes on the DNA methylation status of 87 CpG sites (from the subset of 485 significant CpGs) associated with changes in the gene expression levels of 51 gene transcripts which were regulated by exercise (p < 0.05). Among girls, changes on DNA methylation at 46 CpG sites (from the initial 386 significant CpGs) were associated with changes in the gene expression levels of 30 gene transcripts affected by exercise. Gene transcripts affected by exercise-induced DNA methylation were related to obesity, metabolic syndrome, and inflammation. Nevertheless, none of the presented analyses survived multiple testing correction (FDR > 0.05). This multi-omics approach reveals that exercise may regulate gene pathways involved in metabolism and immune functions in blood cells of boys and girls with OW/OB. These preliminary results provide an important first step to characterize the molecular response to exercise interventions in pediatric populations.
2022-07-07 | GSE193730 | GEO
Project description:Background: Normal cell BRCA1 epimutations have been associated with increased risk of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, the fraction of TNBCs that may have BRCA1 epimutations as their underlying cause is unknown. Neither are the time of occurrence and the potential inheritance patterns of BRCA1 epimutations established. Methods: To address these questions, we analyzed BRCA1 methylation status in breast cancer tissue and matched white blood cells (WBC) from 408 patients with 411 primary breast cancers, including 66 TNBCs, applying a highly sensitive sequencing assay, allowing allele-resolved methylation assessment. Further, to assess the time of origin and the characteristics of normal cell BRCA1 methylation, we analyzed umbilical cord blood of 1260 newborn girls and 200 newborn boys. Finally, we assessed BRCA1 methylation status among 575 mothers and 531 fathers of girls with (n = 102) and without (n = 473) BRCA1 methylation. Results: We found concordant tumor and mosaic WBC BRCA1 epimutations in 10 out of 66 patients with TNBC and in four out of six patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-low expression (<10%) tumors (combined: 14 out of 72; 19.4%; 95% CI 11.1–30.5). In contrast, we found concordance in only three out of 220 patients with 221 ER≥10% tumors and zero out of 114 patients with 116 HER2-positive tumors. Intraindividually, BRCA1 epimutations affected the same allele in normal and tumor cells. Assessing BRCA1 methylation in umbilical WBCs from girls, we found mosaic, predominantly monoallelic BRCA1 epimutations, with qualitative features similar to those in adults, in 113/1260 (9.0%) of individuals, but no correlation to BRCA1 methylation status either in mothers or fathers. A significantly lower fraction of newborn boys carried BRCA1 methylation (9 / 200; 4.5%) as compared to girls (p = 0.038). Similarly, WBC BRCA1 methylation was found less common among fathers (16/531; 3.0%), as compared to mothers (46 / 575; 8.0%; p = 0.0003). Conclusions: Our findings suggest prenatal BRCA1 epimutations might be the underlying cause of around 20% of TNBC and low-ER expression breast cancers. Such constitutional mosaic BRCA1 methylation likely arise through gender-related mechanisms in utero, independent of Mendelian inheritance.
2023-10-26 | GSE243963 | GEO
Project description:Background: Normal cell BRCA1 epimutations have been associated with increased risk of triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). However, the fraction of TNBCs that may have BRCA1 epimutations as their underlying cause is unknown. Neither are the time of occurrence and the potential inheritance patterns of BRCA1 epimutations established. Methods: To address these questions, we analyzed BRCA1 methylation status in breast cancer tissue and matched white blood cells (WBC) from 408 patients with 411 primary breast cancers, including 66 TNBCs, applying a highly sensitive sequencing assay, allowing allele-resolved methylation assessment. Further, to assess the time of origin and the characteristics of normal cell BRCA1 methylation, we analyzed umbilical cord blood of 1260 newborn girls and 200 newborn boys. Finally, we assessed BRCA1 methylation status among 575 mothers and 531 fathers of girls with (n = 102) and without (n = 473) BRCA1 methylation. Results: We found concordant tumor and mosaic WBC BRCA1 epimutations in 10 out of 66 patients with TNBC and in four out of six patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-low expression (<10%) tumors (combined: 14 out of 72; 19.4%; 95% CI 11.1–30.5). In contrast, we found concordance in only three out of 220 patients with 221 ER≥10% tumors and zero out of 114 patients with 116 HER2-positive tumors. Intraindividually, BRCA1 epimutations affected the same allele in normal and tumor cells. Assessing BRCA1 methylation in umbilical WBCs from girls, we found mosaic, predominantly monoallelic BRCA1 epimutations, with qualitative features similar to those in adults, in 113/1260 (9.0%) of individuals, but no correlation to BRCA1 methylation status either in mothers or fathers. A significantly lower fraction of newborn boys carried BRCA1 methylation (9 / 200; 4.5%) as compared to girls (p = 0.038). Similarly, WBC BRCA1 methylation was found less common among fathers (16/531; 3.0%), as compared to mothers (46 / 575; 8.0%; p = 0.0003). Conclusions: Our findings suggest prenatal BRCA1 epimutations might be the underlying cause of around 20% of TNBC and low-ER expression breast cancers. Such constitutional mosaic BRCA1 methylation likely arise through gender-related mechanisms in utero, independent of Mendelian inheritance.
2023-10-26 | GSE243956 | GEO
Project description:Single cell sequencing of fathers who have had children with autism and fathers who have had multiple children, but no children with autism. The data was process on a 10X Chromium and sequenced on a NextSeq
| EGAD00001006292 | EGA
Project description:The aim of this project is to identify biomarkers in serum samples of very young DMD boys (4 years old)
2021-01-30 | PXD013174 | Pride
Project description:<b>Background:</b> Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is defined as a pervasive developmental disorder which is caused by genetic and environmental risk factors. Besides the core behavioral symptoms, accumulated results indicate children with ASD also share some metabolic abnormalities. <b>Objectives:</b> To analyze the comprehensive metabolic profiles in both of the first-morning urine and plasma samples collected from the same cohort of autistic boys. <b>Methods:</b> In this study, 30 autistic boys and 30 tightly matched healthy control (HC) boys (age range: 2.4~6.7 years) were recruited. First-morning urine and plasma samples were collected and the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was applied to obtain the untargeted metabolic profiles. The acquired data were processed by multivariate analysis and the screened metabolites were grouped by metabolic pathway. <b>Results:</b> Different discriminating metabolites were found in plasma and urine samples. Notably, taurine and catechol levels were decreased in urine but increased in plasma in the same cohort of ASD children. Enriched pathway analysis revealed that perturbations in taurine and hypotaurine metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, and arginine and proline metabolism could be found in both of the plasma and urine samples. <b>Conclusion:</b> These preliminary results suggest that a series of common metabolic perturbations exist in children with ASD, and confirmed the importance to have a comprehensive analysis of the metabolites in different biological samples to reveal the full picture of the complex metabolic patterns associated with ASD. Further targeted analyses are needed to validate these results in a larger cohort.
2022-03-02 | MTBLS2421 | MetaboLights
Project description:Obesity is a heritable disorder, with children of obese fathers at higher risk of developing obesity.  Environmental factors epigenetically influence somatic tissues, but the contribution of these factors to the establishment of epigenetic patterns in human gametes is unknown. Here, we hypothesized that weight loss remodels the epigenetic signature of spermatozoa in human obesity. Comprehensive profiling of the epigenome of sperm from lean and obese men showed similar histone positioning, but small non-coding RNA expression and DNA methylation patterns were markedly different. In a separate cohort of morbidly obese men, surgery-induced weight loss was associated with a dramatic remodeling of sperm DNA methylation, notably at genetic locations implicated in the central control of appetite. Our data provide evidence that the epigenome of human spermatozoa dynamically changes under environmental pressure, and offers  insight into how obesity may propagate metabolic dysfunction to the next generation. Examination of the DNA methylation status, histone retention and sncRNA expression of the semen of 13 lean and 10 obese individuals; as well as the DNA methylation status of the semen of 6 obese men undergoing Roux-en-Y GBP surgery, at three time points: approximately 1 week before, 1 week after and 1 year after the surgery.
2015-12-04 | E-GEOD-74426 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Obesity is a heritable disorder, with children of obese fathers at higher risk of developing obesity. Environmental factors epigenetically influence somatic tissues, but the contribution of these factors to the establishment of epigenetic patterns in human gametes is unknown. Here, we hypothesized that weight loss remodels the epigenetic signature of spermatozoa in human obesity. Comprehensive profiling of the epigenome of sperm from lean and obese men showed similar histone positioning, but small non-coding RNA expression and DNA methylation patterns were markedly different. In a separate cohort of morbidly obese men, surgery-induced weight loss was associated with a dramatic remodeling of sperm DNA methylation, notably at genetic locations implicated in the central control of appetite. Our data provide evidence that the epigenome of human spermatozoa dynamically changes under environmental pressure, and offers insight into how obesity may propagate metabolic dysfunction to the next generation.
2015-12-04 | GSE74426 | GEO