The overall goal of the proposed research is to identify epigenomic biomarkers and biological mechanisms underlying the protective role of the Yup'ik (Alaska Native) traditional diet, which is rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from marine mammals and fish and is associated with protection from type 2 diabetes (T2D). High levels of traditional food intake in Yup'ik people are associated with adiponectin and inversely associated with c-reactive protein, triglycerides, and the leptin:adiponectin ratio, suggestive of increased insulin sensitivity. However, the diet of Yup'ik people is transitioning to increased consumption of highly processed market foods, and the prevalence of overweight and obesity now mirrors that of the general U.S. population. Even so, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (15%) and T2D (3%) among Yup'ik people remains lower than in the U.S. general population. Adherence to the Yup'ik traditional dietary pattern is characterized by high protein and low carbohydrate intakes, and intakes of EPA and DHA that surpass those of the U.S. general population by more than 20-fold. Although traditional food intake is likely to be protective in Yup'ik people, the mechanisms of protection are not well understood. We will use an objective measure of the traditional dietary pattern to explore these mechanisms. Although considerable advances have been made in the identification of genetic factors contributing to metabolic diseases, less than 10% of the heritability of diabetes phenotypes is explained by known genetic variation. Epigenetic mechanisms have recently been proposed as a link between genetic risk and environmental exposures such as diet, thereby providing a mechanism for the modification of genetic predisposition and insight into 90% of the heritability that is not explained. The proposed research will: 1) use Illumina Methylation450 microarrays to comprehensively screen for methylation sites on stored peripheral blood DNA samples from 576 Yup'ik people at the highest and lowest deciles of traditional dietary intake; 2) fine map methylation sites by bisulfit sequencing the 20 most promising candidate gene regions in 192 stored Yup'ik DNA samples and verify the findings in 192 stored Greenlandic Inuit samples; 3) assess the stability of epigenetic marks by evaluating methylation patterns in newly collected DNA samples from 150 past participants; and 4) perform functional analyses in newly collected RNA samples from 150 past participants at the extremes of traditional food intake to determine the downstream changes in gene expression associated with dietary pattern and altered genomic methylation. By identifying epigenomic biomarkers associated both with adherence to a traditional diet and with insulin sensitivity, the proposed research will test the hypothesis that a traditional Yup'ik diet modifies the downstream transcription of key genes that contribute to metabolic health of Yup'ik people.
The increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes is a global health concern that has led to substantial increases in health care costs and increased morbidity and mortality. The proposed research is aimed at identifying diet-induced changes in genomic DNA methylation patterns that are associated with changes in downstream gene expression, as well as phenotypic and metabolic profiles associated with insulin sensitivity and protection from type 2 diabetes. Evaluation of the epigenomic impact of protective dietary exposure may enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying metabolic health, and the role that epigenetic factors play in mediating these relationships.
