Relationship between global DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation levels in peripheral blood of elderly patients with myocardial infarction and the degree of coronary atherosclerosis / 上海交通大学学报（医学版）

ABSTRACT

Objective • To investigate the relationship between the levels of global DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation in peripheral blood of elderly patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and the degree of coronary atherosclerosis. Methods • Forty-three elderly patients with MI were enrolled as the study group and 53 elderly patients with negative findings in coronary angiograms during the same period were collected as the control group. Peripheral blood samples were collected. The levels of global DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation in peripheral blood and the concentration of plasma TET2 were detected by ELISA. TET2 mRNA expression was determined by real-time qPCR. Results • Compared with the control group, the levels of global DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation in peripheral blood of elderly patients with MI were significantly increased (P=0.014, P=0.000). The concentration of plasma TET2 and its mRNA expression in patients with MI were significantly higher than those in the control group (P=0.004, P=0.028). The levels of global DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation in MI group were significantly correlated with the degree of coronary atherosclerosis (r=0.262, P=0.017; r=0.360, P=0.001). Conclusion • The levels of global DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation in peripheral blood of elderly patients with MI are significantly increased, which are significantly correlated with the degree of coronary atherosclerosis.