Variable expressed methylation sites of aging-related genes in asthma

Abstract Background: Asthma is a complex pulmonary inflammatory disease which is common in the elderly. Aging-related alterations have also been found in the structural cells and immune cells of asthma patients although the pathological mechanism of the differential aging-related gene in the development of asthma is still obscure. Of note, DNA methylation (DNAm) have been proven to play an important role in the regulation of aging-related genes. However, the methylation levels of aging-related genes in asthma patients are largely unclear.Methods: First, the mRNA levels and DNAm level of the previous screened 9 aging-related genes in peripheral blood of 51 healthy controls (HCs) and 55 asthmatic patients were detected by multiple targeted bisulfite enrichment sequencing (MethTarget) and qPCR. Secondly, the correlation between the DNAm level of specific altered CpG sites and the pulmonary function indicators of asthma patients was evaluated. Lastly, the Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) curve and Principal Component Analysis (PCA) were used to identify the feasibility of the candidate CpG sites as asthma markers.Results: The mRNA expression of the 9 aging-related gene in peripheral blood of asthma patients was significantly different from those of HCs. Besides, the methylation level of the 9 aging-related genes also altered in asthma patients, and a total of 68 CpG sites were related to the severity of asthma. Notably, 10 of the 68 CpG sites had a significant relationship with pulmonary function parameters. Moreover, ROC curve and PCA analysis showed that the candidate differential methylation sites (DMSs) can be used as potential biomarkers for asthma.Conclusions: In summary, this study confirmed the changes in the mRNA expression and DNAm level of aging-related genes in asthma patients. The differential DMSs are associated with the clinical evaluation indicators of asthma, which may indicate the involvement of aging-related genes in the pathogenesis of asthma and provide some new possible biomarker of asthma.