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Research project

Does epigenetic methylation explain the gender-switch in adolescent asthma?

Project overview


This proposal focuses on studies of epigenetic mechanisms of asthma during the period of adolescent transition, which encompasses hormonal and body mass index changes, growth effects, and the possible use of contraceptives, acetaminophen for relief of menstrual symptoms, and nicotine. Many studies have indicated a gender reversal of asthma prevalence during this transition due to a higher incidence and lower remission in girls. This provides a great opportunity to investigate the epigenetic mechanisms of asthma and associated risk factors during adolescence. Specifically, we will 1) assess genome-wide DNA methylation (DNA-M) at CpG sites using blood DNA samples taken before and after adolescent transition; identify CpGs associated with asthma transition and CpGs showing gender specificity in these associations; 2) test the association of asthma risk factors with DNA-M or its changes on these selected sites; 3) evaluate the agreement of methylation in peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) and bronchial epithelial cells (BEC), and in PBL and in BEC, functionally assess the identified epigenetic marks in cis and trans via gene expressions and risk factors. Our overall hypothesis is: the reversal of asthma prevalence in adolescence can be explained by novel methylation difference between genders during the pre- to post-adolescent transition. We will test: (H1) DNA-M or its change across adolescence is associated with the change in asthma risk (TEMs), and the association is gender-specific (TGEMs). (H2) Adolescence-related, environmental, and socio-economic status (SES) risk factors are associated with DNA-M or its changes. (H3) DNA-M in PBL and BEC are correlated for CpG sites associated with asthma status. (H4) DNA-M of TEMs and TGEMs correlates with gene expression in PBL and in BEC and such correlation is gender specific, and (H5) gene expression is associated with TEMs and TGEMs- related risk factors. Expected findings will significant improve our understanding of gender-reversal of asthma prevalence in adolescence, thus provide a strong foundation for promoting asthma remission and predicting and preventing persistent and new onset asthma in adolescence. The results will help pediatricians and public health units to identify children at high risk of asthma in adolescence. Two comparable longitudinal birth cohorts will be investigated in this study. The Isle of Wight (IOW) birth cohort, established in 1989, is comprised of 1,456 children characterized for asthma and allergy at birth, 1, 2, 4, 10, and 18 years of age. The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) cohort in Bristol, established in 1991, includes 4,213 children characterized for asthma and allergy at ages 7-8 and 15-17 years. Both cohorts have extensive phenotype data, environmental exposure data, and DNA samples from pre- and post-adolescence. More importantly, PBL DNA-M have been measured for a large portion of subjects in each cohort.

Staff

Lead researcher

Professor John Holloway PhD, FHEA

Associate V-P Interdisciplinary Research

Research interests

  • Human genetics
  • Epigenetics
  • Respiratory Disease
Other researchers

Professor Hasan Arshad

Prof in Allergy & Clinical Immunology

Research outputs

Olivia Solomon,
Karen Huen,
Paul Yousefi,
Leanne K. Küpers,
Juan R. Gonzalez,
Matthew Suderman,
Sarah E. Reese,
Christian M. Page,
Olena Gruzieva,
Peter Rzehak,
Lu Gao,
Kelly M. Bakulski,
Alexei Novoloaca,
Catherine Allard,
Irene Pappa,
Maria Llambrich,
Marta Vives,
Dereje D. Jima,
Tuomas Kvist,
Andrea A. Baccarelli,
Cory White,
Faisal I Rezwan,
Gemma C. Sharp,
Gwen Tindula,
Anna Bergström,
Veit Grote,
John F Dou,
Elena Isaevska,
Maria C. Magnus,
Eva Corpeleijn,
Patrice Perron,
Vincent W V Jaddoe,
Ellen A. Nohr,
Lea Maitre,
Maria Foraster,
Cathrine Hoyo,
Siri E. Håberg,
Jari Lahti,
Dawn L. DeMeo,
Hongmei Zhang,
Wilfried Karmaus,
Inger Kull,
Berthold Koletzko,
Jason I Feinberg,
Luigi Gagliardi,
Luigi Bouchard,
Cecilia Host Ramlau-Hansen,
Henning Tiemeier,
Gillian Santorelli,
Rachel L. Maguire,
Darina Czamara,
Augusto A. Litonjua,
Jean-Paul Langhendries,
Michelle Plusquin,
Johanna Lepeule,
Elisabeth B. Binder,
Elvira Verduci,
Terence Dwyer,
Angel Carracedo,
Natalia Ferre,
Brenda Eskenazi,
Manolis Kogevinas,
Tim S. Nawrot,
Monica Cheng Munthe-Kaas,
Zdenko Herceg,
Caroline L. Relton,
Erik Melen,
Dariusz Gruszfeld,
Carrie Breton,
M D Fallin,
Akram Ghantous,
Wenche Nystad,
Barbara Heude,
Harold Snieder,
Marie-France Hivert,
Janine F. Felix,
Thorkild I. A. Sørensen,
Mariona Bustamante,
Susan K. Murphy,
Katri Raikkonen,
Emily Oken,
Stephanie London,
& Nina Holland
, 2022 , Mutation Research - Reviews in Mutation Research , 789
Type: review
Liang Li,
Susan Ewart,
Caroline L. Relton,
Wilfried Karmaus,
& Hongmei Zhang
, 2022 , Clinical & Experimental Allergy , 52 (5) , 658--669
Type: article
Aniruddha Rathod,
Hongmei Zhang,
Susan Ewart,
Caroline L. Relton,
Wilfried Karmaus,
, 2022 , Journal of Personalized Medicine , 12 (2) , 202
Type: article
Dilini M. Kothalawala,
Latha Kadalayil,
John A. Curtin,
Clare S. Murray,
Angela Simpson,
Adnan Custovic,
Faisal I. Rezwan,
, 2022 , Journal of Personalized Medicine , 12 (1) , 75
Type: article
Jiajing Wang,
Hongmei Zhang,
Faisal I Rezwan,
Caroline Relton,
, 2021 , Clinical Epigenetics , 13 (1)
Type: article
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