Mendelian randomization analysis of CpG methylation and immune phenotypes in epithelial ovarian cancer outcomes

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a heterogeneous malignancy with distinct histological subtypes, and DNA methylation has emerged as a promising biomarker for early detection. However, the role of methylation patterns in EOC heterogeneity and prognosis remains unclear. In this study, genome-wide as...

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Main Authors: Jiawei Li, Wanjun Luo, Daohong Nie, Zidan Lin, Chenfei Zhou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-12-01
Series:Epigenetics
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15592294.2025.2527145
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author Jiawei Li
Wanjun Luo
Daohong Nie
Zidan Lin
Chenfei Zhou
author_facet Jiawei Li
Wanjun Luo
Daohong Nie
Zidan Lin
Chenfei Zhou
author_sort Jiawei Li
collection DOAJ
description Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a heterogeneous malignancy with distinct histological subtypes, and DNA methylation has emerged as a promising biomarker for early detection. However, the role of methylation patterns in EOC heterogeneity and prognosis remains unclear. In this study, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (OCAC) and Methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTL) data from the Genetics of DNA Methylation Consortium (GoDMC) were analysed using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR). We investigated the genetic effects of CpG methylation on the risk and prognosis of five major EOC histotypes. To further explore the mechanisms by which DNA methylation affects EOC outcomes, we performed mediation analysis to evaluate the role of immunophenotypes. Our analysis identified 94 CpG sites associated with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), 9 of which were linked to prognosis. Additional significant associations were found for clear cell, low-grade serous, endometrioid, and mucinous subtypes. Hypomethylation at specific CpG sites was linked to increased EOC risk and shorter survival. Mediation analysis revealed significant interactions between CpG methylation and immunophenotypes, suggesting that immune modulation mediates the effects of DNA methylation on EOC outcomes. These results provide novel insights into the importance of epigenetic and immune-related factors in EOC pathogenesis.
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spelling doaj-art-97bf7d37b3224676bda4127f9b3b85b12025-08-20T03:16:07ZengTaylor & Francis GroupEpigenetics1559-22941559-23082025-12-0120110.1080/15592294.2025.2527145Mendelian randomization analysis of CpG methylation and immune phenotypes in epithelial ovarian cancer outcomesJiawei Li0Wanjun Luo1Daohong Nie2Zidan Lin3Chenfei Zhou4Department of Gynecology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Gynecology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Surgery, Fifth People’s Hospital, Jingzhou, Hubei, P. R. ChinaDepartment of Gynecology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaDepartment of Gynecology, Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaEpithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a heterogeneous malignancy with distinct histological subtypes, and DNA methylation has emerged as a promising biomarker for early detection. However, the role of methylation patterns in EOC heterogeneity and prognosis remains unclear. In this study, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) data from the Ovarian Cancer Association Consortium (OCAC) and Methylation quantitative trait loci (mQTL) data from the Genetics of DNA Methylation Consortium (GoDMC) were analysed using two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR). We investigated the genetic effects of CpG methylation on the risk and prognosis of five major EOC histotypes. To further explore the mechanisms by which DNA methylation affects EOC outcomes, we performed mediation analysis to evaluate the role of immunophenotypes. Our analysis identified 94 CpG sites associated with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), 9 of which were linked to prognosis. Additional significant associations were found for clear cell, low-grade serous, endometrioid, and mucinous subtypes. Hypomethylation at specific CpG sites was linked to increased EOC risk and shorter survival. Mediation analysis revealed significant interactions between CpG methylation and immunophenotypes, suggesting that immune modulation mediates the effects of DNA methylation on EOC outcomes. These results provide novel insights into the importance of epigenetic and immune-related factors in EOC pathogenesis.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15592294.2025.2527145DNA methylationCpG sitesEOCimmunophenotypeMendelian randomization
spellingShingle Jiawei Li
Wanjun Luo
Daohong Nie
Zidan Lin
Chenfei Zhou
Mendelian randomization analysis of CpG methylation and immune phenotypes in epithelial ovarian cancer outcomes
Epigenetics
DNA methylation
CpG sites
EOC
immunophenotype
Mendelian randomization
title Mendelian randomization analysis of CpG methylation and immune phenotypes in epithelial ovarian cancer outcomes
title_full Mendelian randomization analysis of CpG methylation and immune phenotypes in epithelial ovarian cancer outcomes
title_fullStr Mendelian randomization analysis of CpG methylation and immune phenotypes in epithelial ovarian cancer outcomes
title_full_unstemmed Mendelian randomization analysis of CpG methylation and immune phenotypes in epithelial ovarian cancer outcomes
title_short Mendelian randomization analysis of CpG methylation and immune phenotypes in epithelial ovarian cancer outcomes
title_sort mendelian randomization analysis of cpg methylation and immune phenotypes in epithelial ovarian cancer outcomes
topic DNA methylation
CpG sites
EOC
immunophenotype
Mendelian randomization
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/15592294.2025.2527145
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AT daohongnie mendelianrandomizationanalysisofcpgmethylationandimmunephenotypesinepithelialovariancanceroutcomes
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