Characterizing the genetic basis of methylome diversity in histologically normal human lung tissue

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 3365
• Main Authors: Shi, Jianxin, Marconett, Crystal N., Duan, Jubao, Hyland, Paula L., Li, Peng, Wang, Zhaoming, Wheeler, William, Zhou, Beiyun, Campan, Mihaela, Lee, Diane S., Huang, Jing, Zhou, Weiyin, Triche, Tim, Amundadottir, Laufey, Warner, Andrew, Hutchinson, Amy, Chen, Po-Han, Chung, Brian S. I., Pesatori, Angela C., Consonni, Dario, Bertazzi, Pier Alberto, Bergen, Andrew W., Freedman, Mathew, Siegmund, Kimberly D., Berman, Benjamin P., Borok, Zea, Chatterjee, Nilanjan, Tucker, Margaret A., Caporaso, Neil E., Chanock, Stephen J., Laird-Offringa, Ite A., Landi, Maria Teresa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 27.02.2014; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 631/208/2489/2487/2486; 631/208/726/649; 631/67/1612; Breast - metabolism; CpG Islands - genetics; DNA Methylation; Epistasis, Genetic; Genetic Predisposition to Disease - ethnology; Genetic Predisposition to Disease - genetics; Genetic Variation; Genome-Wide Association Study; Genotype; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Kidney - metabolism; Lung - metabolism; Lung Neoplasms - ethnology; Lung Neoplasms - genetics; multidisciplinary; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Promoter Regions, Genetic - genetics; Quantitative Trait Loci - genetics; Risk Factors; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); White People - genetics
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4365

The genetic regulation of the human epigenome is not fully appreciated. Here we describe the effects of genetic variants on the DNA methylome in human lung based on methylation-quantitative trait loci (meQTL) analyses. We report 34,304 cis - and 585 trans -meQTLs, a genetic–epigenetic interaction of surprising magnitude, including a regulatory hotspot. These findings are replicated in both breast and kidney tissues and show distinct patterns: cis -meQTLs mostly localize to CpG sites outside of genes, promoters and CpG islands (CGIs), while trans -meQTLs are over-represented in promoter CGIs. meQTL SNPs are enriched in CTCF-binding sites, DNaseI hypersensitivity regions and histone marks. Importantly, four of the five established lung cancer risk loci in European ancestry are cis- meQTLs and, in aggregate, cis -meQTLs are enriched for lung cancer risk in a genome-wide analysis of 11,587 subjects. Thus, inherited genetic variation may affect lung carcinogenesis by regulating the human methylome. The effects of genetic variation on DNA methylation patterns are poorly understood. Here, Shi et al. systematically map methylation-quantitative trait loci in lung, breast and kidney tissue to reveal the impact of inherited variation on the human methylome, which also affects cancer risk.