DNA methylation markers may help predict diabetic kidney disease progression
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Key takeaways:
- Researchers identified 40 CpG sites associated with baseline eGFR.
- DNA methylation level was linked to renal function in type 2 diabetes.
Using DNA methylation markers in blood samples may help predict the progression of diabetic kidney disease in patients with type 2 diabetes, recent data suggests.
Researchers led by Kelly Yichen Li, PhD, in the department of computer science and engineering at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, examined if methylation at cytosine and guanine (CpG) sites measured in peripheral blood are associated with renal function, and if it is predictive of kidney function deterioration for patients with type 2 diabetes.
The study followed a cohort of 1,271 patients with type 2 diabetes from the Hong Kong Diabetes Register. The authors conducted two independent epigenome-wide association studies to identify methylation markers associated with baseline eGFR and decline in kidney function.
Researchers identified 40 (30 previously unknown) CpG sites that were associated with baseline eGFR, and eight unexplored sites linked to the rate of eGFR decline. The team also developed a multisite analysis method, which chose 64 and 37 CpG sites for baseline eGFR and eGFR slope, respectively, which was validated in an independent cohort.
Researchers found DNA methylation level was linked to renal function in type 2 diabetes and methylation levels of previously unidentified CpG sites were associated with baseline eGFR. There was a set of eight newly discovered CpG sites tied to the rate of eGFR decline and methylation data are useful for predicting baseline eGFR and decline in eGFR in independent cohorts of patients with type 2 diabetes.
“Our results highlight the potential utility of using methylation levels in blood samples to predict eGFR or change in eGFR in different populations,” Li and colleagues wrote.
While there were limitations to the research, the researchers said that the work may offer insight into the potential of methylation biomarkers.
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