Department of Computational Medicine and Bioinformatics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; NeuroNetwork for Emerging Therapies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
EBioMedicine. 2024 Nov;109:105383. doi: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105383. Epub 2024 Oct 5.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is linked to ageing and genetic and environmental risk factors, yet underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. We aimed to evaluate epigenetic age acceleration (EAA), i.e., DNA methylation (DNAm) age acceleration, and its association with ALS case status and survival.
In this study, we included 428 ALS and 288 control samples collected between 2011 and 2021. We calculated EAA using the GrimAge residual method from ALS and control blood samples and grouped participants with ALS into three ageing groups (fast, normal, slow). We associated EAA with ALS case status and survival, stratified by sex, and correlated it with environmental and biological factors through occupational exposure assessments, immune cell proportions, and transcriptome changes.
Participants with ALS had higher average EAA by 1.80 ± 0.30 years (p < 0.0001) versus controls. Participants with ALS in the fast ageing group had a hazard ratio of 1.52 (95% confidence interval 1.16-2.00, p = 0.0028) referenced to the normal ageing group. In males, this hazard ratio was 1.55 (95% confidence interval 1.11-2.17, p = 0.010), and EAA was positively correlated with high-risk occupational exposures including particulate matter (adj.p < 0.0001) and metals (adj.p = 0.0087). Also, in male participants with ALS, EAA was positively correlated with neutrophil proportions and was negatively correlated with CD4+ T cell proportions. Pathways dysregulated in participants with ALS with fast ageing included spliceosome, nucleocytoplasmic transport, axon guidance, and interferons.
EAA was associated with ALS case status and, at least in males, with shorter survival after diagnosis. The effect of EAA on ALS was partially explained by occupational exposures and immune cell proportions in a sex-dependent manner. These findings highlight the complex interactions of ageing and exposures in ALS.
NIH, CDC/National ALS Registry, ALS Association, Dr. Randall Whitcomb Fund for ALS Genetics, Peter Clark Fund for ALS Research, Sinai Medical Staff Foundation, Scott L. Pranger ALS Clinic Fund, NeuroNetwork Therapeutic Discovery Fund, NeuroNetwork for Emerging Therapies.
肌萎缩侧索硬化症(ALS)与衰老以及遗传和环境风险因素有关,但发病机制尚不完全清楚。我们旨在评估表观遗传年龄加速(EAA),即 DNA 甲基化(DNAm)年龄加速,及其与 ALS 病例状态和生存的关系。
本研究纳入了 2011 年至 2021 年间收集的 428 例 ALS 和 288 例对照样本。我们使用来自 ALS 和对照血液样本的 GrimAge 残差法计算 EAA,并将 ALS 患者分为三组衰老组(快速、正常、缓慢)。我们通过职业暴露评估、免疫细胞比例和转录组变化,将 EAA 与 ALS 病例状态和生存相关联,并按性别分层。
与对照组相比,ALS 患者的平均 EAA 高 1.80±0.30 岁(p<0.0001)。在快速衰老组中,ALS 患者的危险比为 1.52(95%置信区间 1.16-2.00,p=0.0028),与正常衰老组相比。在男性中,该危险比为 1.55(95%置信区间 1.11-2.17,p=0.010),EAA 与高风险职业暴露呈正相关,包括颗粒物(adj.p<0.0001)和金属(adj.p=0.0087)。此外,在男性 ALS 患者中,EAA 与中性粒细胞比例呈正相关,与 CD4+T 细胞比例呈负相关。快速衰老的 ALS 患者中失调的通路包括剪接体、核质转运、轴突导向和干扰素。
EAA 与 ALS 病例状态相关,至少在男性中,与诊断后生存时间更短相关。EAA 对 ALS 的影响部分通过职业暴露和免疫细胞比例在性别依赖性方式上解释。这些发现强调了衰老和暴露在 ALS 中的复杂相互作用。
NIH、CDC/国家 ALS 登记处、ALS 协会、兰德尔·惠特科姆 ALS 遗传学基金、彼得·克拉克 ALS 研究基金、西奈医疗人员基金会、斯科特·L·普朗格 ALS 诊所基金、神经网络治疗发现基金、神经网络新兴治疗基金。