Rationale: Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is known to play a major role in allergic diseases. There is evidence that DNA methylation is associated with total IgE. However, epigenome-wide studies on the association of DNA methylation and cord-blood IgE are lacking. Methods: A total of 48-cord blood samples from Taiwan Maternal and Infant Cohort Study were analyzed using the Infinium Human Beadchip to obtain DNA methylation at ∼450K Cytosine-phosphate-Guanine (CpG) sites. Robust regression was implemented to assess the association between preprocessed and cell type corrected cord blood DNA methylation at 360,704 CpG sites with cord blood total IgE. Surrogate variables were included in the regression to adjust for unknown factors effects. A pathway analysis was performed using DAVID to identify significantly enriched pathways for genes associated with resulting CpG sites. Results: In total 135 CpG sites were significantly associated with cord blood IgE, after adjusting for multiple testing at false discovery rate of 0.05. DAVID identified three statistically significant pathways: Jak-STAT signaling pathway, Chemokine signaling pathway and cancer pathway. Genes in the first two pathways have been shown to be associated with asthma risk. Conclusions: DNA methylation at CpG sites associated with cord blood total IgE is potential marker for future allergic disease and cancer.
Date:
2015-02
Relation:
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2015 Feb;135(2, Suppl.):AB72.
