Genome-wide screening identifies DNA methylation sites that regulate the blood proteome.

Abstract

Background: Identifying DNA methylation sites that regulate the blood proteome is important for biomedical purposes. Materials & methods: Herethe authors performed a genome-wide search to find DNA methylation sites that impact proteins. Results:The authors identified 165 methylation sites associated with 138 proteins. The authors noted hotspot genomic regions that control the levels of several proteins. For example, methylation of the ABO locus impacted37proteins and contributedto cardiometabolic comorbidities, including the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The authors made these findings publicly available as a Unix softwarethat identifies methylation sites that cause disease and reveals the underlying proteins. The authors underlined the software applicationby showing that components of innate immunity contribute to systolic blood pressure. Conclusion: This study provides a catalog of DNA methylation sites that regulate the proteome, and the results are available as freeware for biological insight.