Epigenome-wide association studies identify novel DNA methylation sites associated with PTSD: a meta-analysis of 23 military and civilian cohorts
Authors: Seyma Katrinli, Agaz H. Wani, Adam X. Maihofer, Andrew Ratanatharathorn, Nikolaos P. Daskalakis, Janitza Montalvo-Ortiz, Diana L. Núñez-Ríos, Anthony S. Zannas, Xiang Zhao, Allison E. Aiello, Allison E. Ashley-Koch, Diana Avetyan, Dewleen G. Baker, Jean C. Beckham, Marco P. Boks, Leslie A. Brick, Evelyn Bromet, Frances A. Champagne, Chia-Yen Chen, Shareefa Dalvie, Michelle F. Dennis, Segun Fatumo, Catherine Fortier, Sandro Galea, Melanie E. Garrett, Elbert Geuze, Gerald Grant, Michael A. Hauser, Jasmeet P. Hayes, Sian M. J. Hemmings, Bertrand Russel Huber, Aarti Jajoo, Stefan Jansen, Ronald C. Kessler, Nathan A. Kimbrel, Anthony P. King, Joel E. Kleinman, Nastassja Koen, Karestan C. Koenen, Pei-Fen Kuan, Israel Liberzon, Sarah D. Linnstaedt, Adriana Lori, Benjamin J. Luft, Jurjen J. Luykx, Christine E. Marx, Samuel A. McLean, Divya Mehta, William Milberg, Mark W. Miller, Mary S. Mufford, Clarisse Musanabaganwa, Jean Mutabaruka, Leon Mutesa, Charles B. Nemeroff, Nicole R. Nugent, Holly K. Orcutt, Xue-Jun Qin, Sheila A. M. Rauch, Kerry J. Ressler, Victoria B. Risbrough, Eugène Rutembesa, Bart P. F. Rutten, Soraya Seedat, Dan J. Stein, Murray B. Stein, Sylvanus Toikumo, Robert J. Ursano, Annette Uwineza, Mieke H. Verfaellie, Eric Vermetten, Christiaan H. Vinkers, Erin B. Ware, Derek E. Wildman, Erika J. Wolf, Ross McD Young, Ying Zhao, Leigh L. van den Heuvel, Reid S. Alisch, Ananda B Amstadter, Don Armstrong, Archana Basu, Nicole L Bjorklund, Barbara H Chaiyachati, Judith B M Ensink, Leland L Fleming, Joel Gelernter, Ryan J Herringa, Sonia Jain, Diana L Juvinao-Quintero, Elizabeth Ketema, José J Martínez-Magaña, Burook Misganaw, Shiela Tiemi Nagamatsu, Danny M Nispeling, John Pfeiffer, Christian Schmahl, Gen Shinozaki, Clara Snijders, Jennifer A Sumner, Patricia C Swart, Audrey Tyrka, Mirjam van Zuiden, Jaqueline S Womersley, Nagy A Youssef, Yuanchao Zheng, Yiwen Zhu, Lea Zillich, Dhivya Arasappan, Sabina Berretta, Rahul A. Bharadwaj, Leonardo Collado-Torres, Christos Chatzinakos, Chris P. DiPietro, Duc M. Duong, Amy Deep-Soboslay, Nick Eagles, Louise Huuki, Thomas Hyde, Artemis Iatrou, Geo Pertea, Deanna Ross, Nicholas T. Seyfried, Joo Heon Shin, Victor E. Alvarez, David Benedek, Alicia Che, Dianne A. Cruz, David A. Davis, Matthew J. Girgenti, Ellen Hoffman, Paul E. Holtzheimer, Alfred Kaye, John H. Krystal, Adam T. Labadorf, Terence M. Keane, Ann McKee, Brian Marx, Crystal Noller, Meghan Pierce, William K. Scott, Paula Schnurr, Krista DiSano, Thor Stein, Douglas E. Williamson, Keith A. Young, Monica Uddin, Caroline M. Nievergelt, Alicia K. Smith, Mark W. Logue
Journal: Genome Medicine (2024)

Abstract Background The occurrence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following a traumatic event is associated with biological differences that can represent the susceptibility to PTSD, the impact of trauma, or the sequelae of PTSD itself. These effects include differences in DNA methylation (DNAm), an important form of epigenetic gene regulation, at multiple CpG loci across the genome. Moreover, these effects can be shared or specific to both central and peripheral tissues. Here, we aim to identify blood DNAm differences associated with PTSD and characterize the underlying biological mechanisms by examining the extent to which they mirror associations across multiple brain regions. Methods As the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) PTSD Epigenetics Workgroup, we conducted the largest cross-sectional meta-analysis of epigenome-wide association studies (EWASs) of PTSD to date, involving 5077 participants (2156 PTSD cases and 2921 trauma-exposed controls) from 23 civilian and military studies. PTSD diagnosis assessments were harmonized following the standardized guidelines established by the PGC-PTSD Workgroup. DNAm was assayed from blood using Illumina HumanMethylation450 or MethylationEPIC (850 K) BeadChips. Within each cohort, DNA methylation was regressed on PTSD, sex (if applicable), age, blood cell proportions, and ancestry. An inverse variance-weighted meta-analysis was performed. We conducted replication analyses in tissue from multiple brain regions, neuronal nuclei, and a cellular model of prolonged stress. Results We identified 11 CpG sites associated with PTSD in the overall meta-analysis (1.44e − 09 &lt; p &lt; 5.30e − 08), as well as 14 associated in analyses of specific strata (military vs civilian cohort, sex, and ancestry), including CpGs in AHRR and CDC42BPB . Many of these loci exhibit blood–brain correlation in methylation levels and cross-tissue associations with PTSD in multiple brain regions. Out of 9 CpGs annotated to a gene expressed in blood, methylation levels at 5 CpGs showed significant correlations with the expression levels of their respective annotated genes. Conclusions This study identifies 11 PTSD-associated CpGs and leverages data from postmortem brain samples, GWAS, and genome-wide expression data to interpret the biology underlying these associations and prioritize genes whose regulation differs in those with PTSD.