Creating and validating a DNA methylation-based proxy for Interleukin-6

Chronic inflammation is a pervasive feature of ageing and may be linked to age-related cognitive decline. However, population studies evaluating its relationship with cognitive functioning have produced heterogeneous results. A potential reason for this is the variability of inflammatory mediators which could lead to misclassifications of individuals persisting levels of inflammation. The epigenetic mechanism DNA methylation has shown utility in indexing environmental exposures and could potentially be leveraged to provide proxy signatures of chronic inflammation. We conducted an elastic net regression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in a cohort of 895 older adults (mean age: 69 years) to develop a DNA methylation-based predictor. The predictor was tested in an independent cohort (n=7,028 [417 with measured IL-6], mean age: 51 years).We examined the association between the DNA methylation IL-6 score and serum IL-6, its association with age and established correlates of circulating IL-6, and with cognitive ability. A weighted score from 12 DNA methylation sites optimally predicted IL-6 (independent test set R2=5.1%). In the independent test cohort, both measured IL-6, and the DNA methylation proxy, increased as a function of age (serum IL-6: n=417, {beta}=0.02, SE=0.004 p=1.3x10-7; DNAm IL-6 score: n=7,028, {beta}=0.02, SE=0.0009, p<2 x 10-16). Serum IL-6 was not found to associate with cognitive ability (n=417, {beta}=-0.06, SE=0.05, p=0.19); however, an inverse association was identified between the DNA methylation score and cognitive functioning (n=7,028, {beta}=-0.14, SE=0.02, pFDR=1.5 x 10-14). These results suggest DNA methylation-based predictors can be used as proxies for inflammatory markers, potentially allowing for reliable insights into the relationship between chronic inflammation and pertinent health outcomes.