ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

Abstract Number: 807

The Effects of DNA Methylation on Differential Expression in Dermal Fibroblasts from African-American Patients with Systemic Sclerosis

DeAnna Baker Frost1, Willian da Silveira2, Ilia Atanelishvili3, Robert C. Wilson4, E. Starr Hazard2, Jim C. Oates5, Galina S. Bogatkevich3, Carol A. Feghali-Bostwick6, Gary Hardiman7 and Paula S. Ramos8, 1Medicine, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 2Center for Genomic Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 3Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 4Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 5Division of Rheumatology & Immunology, Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 6Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Division of Rheumatology and Immunology, Charleston, SC, 7Department of Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, 8Department of Public Health Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC

Meeting: 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

Keywords: ,

Session Information

Date: Sunday, October 21, 2018

Title: Systemic Sclerosis and Related Disorders – Clinical Poster I

Session Type: ACR Poster Session A

Session Time: 9:00AM-11:00AM

Background/Purpose: The etiology and reasons underlying the ethnic disparities in systemic sclerosis (SSc) remain unknown. African-Americans (AA) are disproportionally affected by SSc, yet dramatically underrepresented in research. The role of DNA methylation in disease risk remains unclear. Previously, we conducted DNA methylation analysis in AA SSc patients and found 17 genes and 11 promoters showed significant differential methylation levels between cases and controls. In this study, we seek to determine expression differences in some of the candidate protein-coding and RNA genes previously identified.

Methods: RNA was isolated from cultured primary dermal fibroblasts isolated from 12 AA SSc cases and 14 AA controls. All patients met the 2013 ACR/EULAR classification criteria for SSc, most (93%) presenting with diffuse cutaneous SSc. Transcript levels of steady state RNA of 5 protein coding genes, 2 non-coding and 1 long-coding (lnc) RNAs were analyzed using QRT-PCR. Values were normalized to the house-keeping gene, β2-microglobulin, to determine magnitude of fold change. Statistical differences were noted between the groups using the Mann-Whitney test.

Results: QPCR analysis revealed 2 of the 5 protein coding genes and the lncRNA had significant differences in transcript levels between primary dermal fibroblasts from AA SSc patients and healthy controls. Both protein coding genes DLX5 and TMEM140 were significantly increased, while the lncRNA MGC12916 was significantly decreased in primary dermal fibroblasts from AA SSc patients compared to healthy controls.

Conclusion: Differential gene expression of DLX5 and TMEM140 has been reported in previous studies with SSc patients. Our current study shows that gene body hypermethylation in DLX5 and promoter hypermethylation in TMEM140 is correlated with its overexpression in AA SSc patients relative to healthy controls. However, gene body hypermethylation of lncRNA MGC12916 is correlated with its underexpression in AA SSc patients relative to healthy controls. While previous studies reported both differential methylation and gene expression in DLX5 only, these results are the first to report both differential methylation and gene expression of DLX5, TMEM140 and lncRNA MGC12916 in AA SSc patients, prompting further research in determining their role regarding SSc susceptibility in this cohort.

Disclosure: D. Baker Frost, None; W. da Silveira, None; I. Atanelishvili, None; R. C. Wilson, None; E. S. Hazard, None; J. C. Oates, None; G. S. Bogatkevich, None; C. A. Feghali-Bostwick, GSK, Biogen, BMS, iBio Inc, 2, 7; G. Hardiman, None; P. S. Ramos, None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Baker Frost D, da Silveira W, Atanelishvili I, Wilson RC, Hazard ES, Oates JC, Bogatkevich GS, Feghali-Bostwick CA, Hardiman G, Ramos PS. The Effects of DNA Methylation on Differential Expression in Dermal Fibroblasts from African-American Patients with Systemic Sclerosis [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2018; 70 (suppl 9). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/the-effects-of-dna-methylation-on-differential-expression-in-dermal-fibroblasts-from-african-american-patients-with-systemic-sclerosis/. Accessed .

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