Abstract P154: Associations between DNA Methylation of Four Genes and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in the Cardiovascular Health Study

DNA methylation of gene regulatory regions plays an important role in modulating expression. We hypothesized that methylation of four genes selected a priori due to their relationship with cardiovascular disease (CVD) would be associated with CVD risk factors, incident CVD, and mortality. The genes were 1) Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF) which encodes for the cytokine TNF involved in systemic inflammation; 2) Superoxide Dismutase 3 (SOD3) associated with antioxidant function; 3) Synuclein Gamma (SNCG) believed to be related to neurodegenerative diseases; and 4) Serpin A5 (SERPINA5), a serine protease inhibitor related to coagulation and inflammation. We used quantitative methylation-specific PCR to measure the methylation status of each gene at baseline and 8 years later in 492 older adults enrolled in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS). The CHS is a multi-site observational cohort investigating CVD in older adults initiated in 1989/90 with follow-up through the present. We evaluated associations between p...