DNA Methylation Signatures As Biomarkers of Socioeconomic Position

Overview

Journal Environ Epigenet

Publisher Oxford University Press

Date 2023 Jan 25

PMID 36694711

Authors

Meghna Rajaprakash

Lorraine T Dean

Meredith Palmore

Sara B Johnson

Joan Kaufman

Daniele M Fallin

Christine Ladd-Acosta

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

This review article provides a framework for the use of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation (DNAm) biomarkers to study the biological embedding of socioeconomic position (SEP) and summarizes the latest developments in the area. It presents the emerging literature showing associations between individual- and neighborhood-level SEP exposures and DNAm across the life course. In contrast to questionnaire-based methods of assessing SEP, we suggest that DNAm biomarkers may offer an accessible metric to study questions about SEP and health outcomes, acting as a personal dosimeter of exposure. However, further work remains in standardizing SEP measures across studies and evaluating consistency across domains, tissue types, and time periods. Meta-analyses of epigenetic associations with SEP are offered as one approach to confirm the replication of DNAm loci across studies. The development of DNAm biomarkers of SEP would provide a method for examining its impact on health outcomes in a more robust way, increasing the rigor of epidemiological studies.

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