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Sinke, L.* ; Delerue, T. ; Wilson, R. ; Lu, X.* ; Xia, Y.* ; Costeira, R.* ; Nasr, M.K.* ; Beekman, M.* ; Franke, L.* ; Zhernakova, A.* ; Fu, J.* ; Gieger, C. ; Herder, C.* ; Koenig, W.* ; Peters, A. ; Ordovas, J.M.* ; Dörr, M.* ; Grabe, H.J.* ; Nauck, M.* ; Bell, J.T.* ; Teumer, A.* ; Snieder, H.* ; Waldenberger, M. ; Slagboom, P.E.* ; Heijmans, B.T.*

DNA methylation of genes involved in lipid metabolism drives adiponectin levels and metabolic disease.

Diabetologia, DOI: 10.1007/s00125-025-06549-6 (2025)
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AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Despite playing critical roles in the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders, the molecular mechanisms underlying circulating adipokine levels remain poorly understood. By identifying genomic regions involved in the regulation of adipokine levels and adipokine-mediated disease risk, we can improve our understanding of type 2 diabetes pathogenesis and inter-individual differences in metabolic risk. METHODS: We conducted an epigenome-wide meta-analysis of associations between serum adiponectin (n=2791) and leptin (n=3661) and leukocyte DNA methylation at over 400,000 CpG sites across five European cohorts. The resulting methylation signatures were followed up using functional genomics, integrative analyses and causal inference methods. RESULTS: Our findings revealed robust associations with adiponectin at 73 CpGs and leptin at 211 CpGs. Many of the identified sites were also associated with risk factors for the metabolic syndrome and located in enhancers close to relevant transcription factor binding sites. Integrative analyses additionally linked 35 of the adiponectin-associated CpGs to the expression of 46 genes, and 100 of the leptin-associated CpGs to the expression of 151 genes, with implicated genes enriched for lipid transport (e.g. ABCG1), metabolism (e.g. CPT1A) and biosynthesis (e.g. DHCR24). Bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomisation further identified two specific CpG sites as plausible drivers of both adiponectin levels and metabolic health: one annotated to ADIPOQ, the gene encoding adiponectin; and another linked to the expression of SREBF1, an established modifier of type 2 diabetes risk known to exert its effects via adiponectin. CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: Taken together, these large-scale and integrative analyses uncovered links between adipokines and widespread, yet functionally specific, differences in regulation of genes with a central role in type 2 diabetes and its risk factors.
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Publication type Article: Journal article
Document type Scientific Article
Keywords Adiponectin ; Causal Inference ; Epigenomics ; Leptin ; Lipid Metabolism ; Meta-analysis ; Metabolic Health ; Type 2 Diabetes; Mendelian Randomization; Plasma Adiponectin; Association; Differentiation; Expression; Design
Language english
Publication Year 2025
HGF-reported in Year 2025
ISSN (print) / ISBN 0012-186X
e-ISSN 1432-0428
Journal Diabetologia
Publisher Springer
Publishing Place Berlin ; Heidelberg [u.a.]
Reviewing status Peer reviewed
Institute(s) Institute of Epidemiology (EPI)
POF-Topic(s) 30202 - Environmental Health
Research field(s) Genetics and Epidemiology
PSP Element(s) G-504091-001
G-504091-004
G-504000-010
Grants Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO)
Joint Programming Initiative 'a Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life' (JPI-HDHL) DIMENSION project
DOI 10.1007/s00125-025-06549-6
WOS ID 001588267300001
Scopus ID 105018211531
PubMed ID 41057690
Erfassungsdatum 2025-10-14
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