The DNA methylation landscape of CD4+ T cells in oligoarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) is presumed to be driven by an adverse combination of genes and environment. Epigenetic processes, including DNA methylation, act as a conduit through which the environment can regulate gene activity. Altered DNA methylation has been associated with adult autoimmune rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, but studies are lacking for paediatric autoimmune rheumatic diseases including JIA. Here, we performed a genome-scale case-control analysis of CD4+ T cell DNA methylation from 56 oligoarticular JIA (oJIA) cases and 57 age and sex matched controls using Illumina HumanMethylation450 arrays. DNA methylation at each array probe was tested for association with oJIA using RUV (Remove Unwanted Variation) together with a moderated t-test. Further to this 'all-inclusive' analysis, we stratified by age at diagnosis (≤6yrs, >6yrs) and by sex as potential sources of heterogeneity. Following False Discovery Rate (FDR) adjustment, no probes were associated with oJIA in the all-inclusive, >6yrs-diagnosed, or sex-stratified analyses, and only one probe was associated with oJIA in the ≤6yrs-diagnosed analysis. We attempted technical validation and replication of 14 probes (punadj<0.01) at genes of known/potential relevance to disease. At VPS53, we demonstrated a regional shift towards higher methylation in oJIA (all-inclusive) compared to controls. At REEP3, where polymorphism has been previously associated with JIA, we demonstrated higher DNA methylation in male oJIA compared to male controls. This is the most comprehensive JIA case-control analysis of DNA methylation to date. While we have generated some evidence of altered methylation in oJIA, substantial differences are not apparent in CD4+ T cells. This may indicate a lesser relevance of DNA methylation levels in childhood, compared to adult, rheumatic disease.

In vitro exposure of human blood mononuclear cells to active vitamin D does not induce substantial change to DNA methylation on a genome-scale.

It is well-established that vitamin D impacts gene regulation via vitamin D response elements (VDREs) across the genome. Recent evidence, primarily at a locus-specific level, suggests that alterations to DNA methylation may also be a relevant mechanism through which vitamin D regulates gene expression. Given the intense interest in vitamin D, particularly as an immune modifier, we sought to examine the impact of vitamin D exposure on the immune cell methylome in vitro. We exposed primary human blood mononuclear cells with up to 100nM calcitriol for up to 120h, and measured genome-scale DNA methylation response using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 beadchip array. We observed that, while the expression of known vitamin D responsive genes was clearly altered by calcitriol exposure, substantial genome-scale changes to DNA methylation were not induced. Our data suggests that, over the exposure period measured, changes to DNA methylation may not be a predominant mechanism through which vitamin D impacts gene expression in human immune cells.