Abstract

EpigenomicsVol. 7, No. 8 CommentaryMendelian randomization: applications and limitations in epigenetic studiesCaroline L Relton & George Davey SmithCaroline L Relton*Author for correspondence: E-mail Address: caroline.relton@bristol.ac.uk MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UKSearch for more papers by this author & George Davey Smith MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 2BN, UKSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:7 Dec 2015https://doi.org/10.2217/epi.15.88AboutSectionsView ArticleView Full TextPDF/EPUB ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInReddit View articleKeywords: causal inferenceDNA methylationepidemiologyepigeneticsmediationSNPPapers of special note have been highlighted as: • of interest; •• of considerable interestReferences1 Mathers JC, Strathdee G, Relton CL. 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Epidemiol. 44(2), 512–525 (2015).Crossref, Medline, Google ScholarFiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited ByEpigenome-wide epidemiologic studies of human immunodeficiency virus infection, treatment, and disease progression11 January 2022 | Clinical Epigenetics, Vol. 14, No. 1A comparison of the genes and genesets identified by GWAS and EWAS of fifteen complex traits19 December 2022 | Nature Communications, Vol. 13, No. 1Prenatal medication exposure and epigenetic outcomes: a systematic literature review and recommendations for prenatal pharmacoepigenetic studies29 April 2021 | Epigenetics, Vol. 17, No. 4Shared Genetic Basis and Causal Relationship Between Television Watching, Breakfast Skipping and Type 2 Diabetes: Evidence From a Comprehensive Genetic Analysis24 March 2022 | Frontiers in Endocrinology, Vol. 13Epigenetic Clocks14 April 2022EpigeneticsImpact of In Utero Folate Exposure on DNA Methylation and Its Potential Relevance for Later‐Life Health—Evidence from Mouse Models Translated to Human Cohorts13 December 2021 | Molecular Nutrition & Food Research, Vol. 261A meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies in Alzheimer’s disease highlights novel differentially methylated loci across cortex10 June 2021 | Nature Communications, Vol. 12, No. 1Genetic impacts on DNA methylation: research findings and future perspectives30 April 2021 | Genome Biology, Vol. 22, No. 1Causal Inference Methods to Integrate Omics and Complex Traits17 August 2020 | Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine, Vol. 11, No. 5Tobacco Smoking and the Association With First Incidence of Mood, Anxiety, and Substance Use Disorders: A 3-Year Prospective Population-Based Study15 March 2021 | Clinical Psychological Science, Vol. 9, No. 3Time trends in epigenetic signatures and population health risksInvited Review – A 5‐year update on epigenome‐wide association studies of DNA modifications in Alzheimer’s disease: progress, practicalities and promise30 August 2020 | Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology, Vol. 46, No. 7Understanding the Interplay Between Health Disparities and Epigenomics20 August 2020 | Frontiers in Genetics, Vol. 11Lifetime Smoking and Asthma: A Mendelian Randomization Study4 August 2020 | Frontiers in Genetics, Vol. 11Genetically, Dietary Sodium Intake Is Causally Associated with Salt-Sensitive Hypertension Risk in a Community-Based Cohort Study: a Mendelian Randomization Approach26 June 2020 | Current Hypertension Reports, Vol. 22, No. 7Antipsychotic Medications and DNA Methylation in Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder: A Systematic ReviewPharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy, Vol. 40, No. 4Epigenetics and gestational diabetes: a review of epigenetic epidemiology studies and their use to explore epigenetic mediation and improve prediction17 October 2019 | Diabetologia, Vol. 62, No. 12DNA methylation aging clocks: challenges and recommendations25 November 2019 | Genome Biology, Vol. 20, No. 1Mendelian randomization provides support for obesity as a risk factor for meningioma22 January 2019 | Scientific Reports, Vol. 9, No. 1Appraising the causal relevance of DNA methylation for risk of lung cancer24 September 2019 | International Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 48, No. 5Mendelian randomization studies on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: evidence and limitations17 May 2019 | Science China Life Sciences, Vol. 62, No. 6A brief tour of epidemiologic epigenetics and mental healthCurrent Opinion in Psychology, Vol. 27An integrative approach to detect epigenetic mechanisms that putatively mediate the influence of lifestyle exposures on disease susceptibility29 June 2019 | International Journal of Epidemiology, Vol. 48, No. 3Causal Modeling in Environmental HealthAnnual Review of Public Health, Vol. 40, No. 1Mendelian Randomization and the Environmental Epigenetics of Health: a Systematic Review18 February 2019 | Current Environmental Health Reports, Vol. 6, No. 1Postnatal Social Factors: The Epigenome and the Skeleton29 June 2019Epigenomics in tobacco risk assessment: Opportunities for integrated new approachesCurrent Opinion in Toxicology, Vol. 11-12Unravelling the Roles of Susceptibility Loci for Autoimmune Diseases in the Post-GWAS Era27 July 2018 | Genes, Vol. 9, No. 8DNA methylation in human lipid metabolism and related diseasesCurrent Opinion in Lipidology, Vol. 29, No. 2Protocol for the EMPHASIS study; 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The REGICOR study15 September 2016 | Human Molecular Genetics, Vol. 25, No. 20How to make DNA methylome wide association studies more powerfulXinyi Lin, Sheila Barton & Joanna D Holbrook7 April 2016 | Epigenomics, Vol. 8, No. 8 Vol. 7, No. 8 Follow us on social media for the latest updates Metrics Downloaded 297 times History Published online 7 December 2015 Published in print December 2015 Information© Future Medicine LtdKeywordscausal inferenceDNA methylationepidemiologyepigeneticsmediationSNPAcknowledgementsThe authors would like to thank members of the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit for their contribution in developing this area of research.Financial & competing interests disclosuresThe authors’ work related to the application of Mendelian randomization to epigenetics is supported by the Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol (MC_UU_12013/1 and MC_UU_12013/2). This work was also supported by CRUK (grant number C18281/A19169). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.PDF download

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