Air pollution and DNA methylation: interaction by psychological factors in the VA Normative Aging Study.
DNA methylation is a potential pathway linking air pollution to disease. Studies indicate that psychological functioning modifies the association between pollution and morbidity. The authors estimated the association of DNA methylation with ambient particulate matter less than 2.5 µm in diameter (PM(2.5)) and black carbon, using mixed models. DNA methylation of the inducible nitric oxide synthase gene, iNOS, and the glucocorticoid receptor gene, GCR, was measured by quantitative polymerase chain reaction pyrosequencing of 1,377 blood samples from 699 elderly male participants in the VA Normative Aging Study (1999-2009). The authors also investigated whether this association was modified by psychological factors including optimism or pessimism, anxiety, and depression. iNOS methylation was decreased after acute exposure to both black carbon and PM(2.5). A 1-μg/m(3) increase in exposure to black carbon in the 4 hours preceding the clinical examination was associated with a 0.9% decrease in 5-methylcytosine (95% CI: 0.4, 1.4) in iNOS, and a 10-μg/m(3) increase in exposure to PM(2.5) was associated with a 0.6% decrease in 5-methylcytosine (95% CI: 0.03, 1.1) in iNOS. Participants with low optimism and high anxiety had associations that were 3-4 times larger than those with high optimism or low anxiety. GCR methylation was not associated with particulate air pollution exposure.
Earth Institute and Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA. jm3731@columbia.edu
Jaime
J
Madrigano
Andrea
A
Baccarelli
Murray A
MA
Mittleman
David
D
Sparrow
Avron
A
Spiro
Pantel S
PS
Vokonas
Laura
L
Cantone
Laura
L
Kubzansky
Joel
J
Schwartz
D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000187:drug effects / Q000523:psychology; D000397:Air Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications; D001900:Boston / Q000453:epidemiology; D019175:DNA Methylation / Q000187:drug effects*; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / Q000235:genetics; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000009:adverse effects; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011584:Psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000235:genetics; D053260:Soot / Q000009:adverse effects; D014728:Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
D052638:Particulate Matter; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D053260:Soot; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II