Nasal Epigenome-Wide Association Study of Respiratory and Allergic Biomarkers in Mexican American Young Adults

Nasal DNA methylation in Mexican American young adults is linked to fractional exhaled nitric oxide, with 49 CpGs and 557 differentially methylated regions reaching FDR<0.05.

• Why it matters: Mexican Americans show a disproportionate asthma burden despite low prevalence, and nasal epigenetic biomarkers tied to airway inflammation and air pollution remain insufficiently characterized in this age group.
• What they did: In CHAMACOS (354 young adults, age 22), epigenome-wide association testing across 804,220 CpGs assessed links to asthma, allergic sensitization, FeNO, and lung function, then replicated in Project Viva (540 adolescents, age 13).
• The result: Twenty-six CpGs and 103 DMRs replicated for FeNO, asthma, and FEV1/FVC, FeNO-related CpGs associated with PM2.5 and/or O3 (p<0.05), and FeNO predicted greater epigenetic aging acceleration (beta=0.3, p=0.008).

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