Associations between peripheral blood whole-genome DNA methylation and obesity in young Chinese males

To explore the associations between peripheral blood whole-genome DNA methylation and obesity in young Chinese males.

Four young Chinese males aged 18-25 years with obesity (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30 kg/m2) from Liuzhou Peoples Hospital Health Management Center and 3 age-matched healthy controls with average weights were included. Methylation sequencing was conducted using whole-blood DNA extraction and an Illumina 850K methylation chip, followed by gene functional annotation, pathway enrichment analysis, and differential analysis using bioinformatics tools.

MethylTarget technology was utilized for the methylation sequencing of 35 patients with obesity and 34 healthy controls, revealing 15 differential sites, two differential regions, and three differential genes. The differential regions included cg08667244 (site region 1stExon) and cg13928759 (site region TSS200, p < 0.05), with the differential genes being cg08667244 (corresponding to iodothyronine deiodinase 3, DIO3), cg13928759 (corresponding to leucine-rich glioma inactivated 1, LGI1), and cg18770216 (corresponding to integrin beta 5, ITGB5, p < 0.05). Further analysis revealed a negative correlation between cg13928759 methylation (LGI1 gene) and body mass index (R = -0.25; P = 0.04).

This study revealed 15 differential sites, two differential regions, and three differential genes between young individuals with obesity and healthy controls, among which cg13928759 methylation (LGI1 gene) was negatively correlated with body mass index. These findings suggest that DNA methylation may contribute to obesity development, with LGI1 methylation serving as a potential biomarker.