{"entity": "publication", "iuid": "d8b6d64891cd4c81ad5a0cd77bfb8a95", "timestamp": "2026-06-06T07:19:27.924Z", "links": {"self": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/publication/d8b6d64891cd4c81ad5a0cd77bfb8a95.json"}, "display": {"href": "https://publications.scilifelab.se/publication/d8b6d64891cd4c81ad5a0cd77bfb8a95"}}, "title": "Genome-wide DNA methylation study identifies genes associated with the cardiovascular biomarker GDF-15.", "authors": [{"family": "Ek", "given": "Weronica E", "initials": "WE"}, {"family": "Hedman", "given": "\u00c5sa K", "initials": "\u00c5K"}, {"family": "Enroth", "given": "Stefan", "initials": "S"}, {"family": "Morris", "given": "Andrew P", "initials": "AP"}, {"family": "Lindgren", "given": "Cecilia M", "initials": "CM"}, {"family": "Mahajan", "given": "Anubha", "initials": "A"}, {"family": "Gustafsson", "given": "Stefan", "initials": "S"}, {"family": "Gyllensten", "given": "Ulf", "initials": "U"}, {"family": "Lind", "given": "Lars", "initials": "L"}, {"family": "Johansson", "given": "\u00c5sa", "initials": "\u00c5"}], "type": "journal article", "published": "2016-02-15", "journal": {"volume": "25", "issn": "1460-2083", "issue": "4", "pages": "817-827", "title": "Hum. Mol. Genet.", "issn-l": "0964-6906"}, "abstract": "Growth-differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15) is expressed in low to moderate levels in most healthy tissues and increases in response to inflammation. GDF-15 is associated with cardiovascular dysfunction and over-expressed in the myocardium of patients with myocardial infarction (MI). However, little is known about the function of GDF-15 in cardiovascular disease, and the underlying regulatory network of GDF-15 is not known. To investigate a possible association between GDF-15 levels and DNA methylation, we performed a genome-wide DNA methylation study of white blood cells in a population-based study (N = 717). Significant loci where replicated in an independent cohort (N = 963). We also performed a gene ontology (GO) enrichment analysis. We identified and replicated 16 CpG-sites (false discovery rate [FDR] < 0.05), at 11 independent loci including MIR21. MIR21 encodes a microRNA (miR-21) that has previously been shown to be associated with the development of heart disease. Interestingly, GDF15 mRNA contains a binding site for miR-21. Four sites were also differentially methylated in blood from participants previously diagnosed with MI and 14 enriched GO terms (FDR < 0.05, enrichment > 2) were identified, including 'cardiac muscle cell differentiation'. This study shows that GDF-15 levels are associated with differences in DNA methylation in blood cells, and a subset of the loci are also differentially methylated in participants with MI. However, there might be interactions between GDF-15 levels and methylation in other tissues not addressed in this study. These results provide novel links between GDF-15 and cardiovascular disease.", "doi": "10.1093/hmg/ddv511", "pmid": "26681806", "labels": {"National Genomics Infrastructure": "Service", "NGI Uppsala (SNP&SEQ Technology Platform)": "Service", "Bioinformatics Support for Computational Resources": "Service"}, "xrefs": [{"db": "pii", "key": "ddv511"}], "notes": [], "created": "2017-05-02T12:56:55.790Z", "modified": "2024-01-16T13:48:50.457Z"}