Methylation of genomic DNA in monocytes and macrophages

Abstract

This study aims to investigate if the total amount of DNA methylation in peripheral monocytes changes due to activation and differentiation to in vitro monocyte-derived macrophages. Research of this nature is ongoing at Malmö University, with particular focus on aluminum salts as vaccine adjuvants, and their effects on macrophages. Gene expression and methylation changes in the macrophages of the immune system is scarcely researched, as well as how their methylation is influenced by vaccine adjuvants. New knowledge about the amount of methylation in these cells before stimulation with aluminum salts may be a part of future vaccine research. Monocytes from peripheral blood were isolated and stimulated with cytokines for differentiation and polarization before DNA extraction and methylation analysis. Findings in this study shows a decreasing amount of DNA methylation when monocytes differentiate into inactive M0 macrophages, but unchanged amount of methylation in further polarization of the cells to pro-inflammatory M1 and anti-inflammatory M2 macrophages. By analyzing more donors and including sequencing methods, the involvement and impact on specific genes may be identified and further investigated.

Keywords

• methylation changes
• differentiation
• polarization
• vaccine development.