Socioeconomic inequalities in early adulthood disrupt the immune transcriptomic landscape via upstream regulators
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Disparities in socio-economic status (SES) predict many immune system-related diseases, and previous research documents relationships between SES and the immune cell transcriptome. Drawing on a bioinformatically-informed network approach, we situate these findings in a broader molecular framework by examining the upstream regulators of SES-associated transcriptional alterations. Data come from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), a nationally representative sample of 4543 adults in the United States. Results reveal a network-of differentially expressed genes, transcription factors, and protein neighbors of transcription factors-that shows widespread SES-related dysregulation of the immune system. Mediational models suggest that body mass index (BMI) plays a key role in accounting for many of these associations. Overall, the results reveal the central role of upstream regulators in socioeconomic differences in the molecular basis of immunity, which propagate to increase risk of chronic health conditions in later-life.
DOI: 10.17615/3zvt-2r32
Authors: Harris, Kathleen Mullan, Ravi, Sudharshan, Cole, Steven W., Levitt, Brandt, Shanahan, Michael J.
Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Language: English
Subfield: Health
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: National Science Foundation, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung, National Institutes of Health, Gillings School of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, National Institute on Aging, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Awards: Social Context, the Life Course, and Genetic Transcription in Add Health, The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, G5173858953, G597551293, Social regulation of pro-inflammatory monocytes, Social Regulation of Gene Expression, Social status and the regulation of the genome: longitudinal and cross-species studies, G9000354797, USC/UCLA Center on Biodemography and Population Health
OpenAlex ID: W4401040902