Leveraging the Urban–Rural Divide for Epigenetic Research

Abstract

Urbanization coincides with a complex change in environmental exposure and a rapid increase in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). Epigenetics, including DNA methylation (DNAm), is thought to mediate part of the association between genetic/environmental exposure and NCDs. The urban–rural divide provides a unique opportunity to investigate the effect of the combined presence of multiple forms of environmental exposure on DNAm and the related increase in disease risk. This review evaluates the ability of three epidemiological study designs (migration, income-comparative and urban–rural designs) to investigate the role of DNAm in the association between urbanization and the rise in NCD prevalence. We also discuss the ability of each study design to address the gaps in the current literature, including the complex methylation-mediated risk attributable to the cluster of forms of exposure characterizing urban and rural living, while providing a platform for developing countries to leverage their demographic discrepancies in future research ventures.

Keywords::

• DNA methylation
• epigenetic epidemiology
• epigenetics and disease
• LMIC
• noncommunicable disease
• urbanization

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This work was supported by the South African National Research Foundation (SFH106264 to HT Cronjé) and the Newton Fund Foundation (AMS-NAF1-Pieters to M Pieters). HR Elliott works in the Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, which is supported by the Medical Research Council and the University of Bristol (MC_UU_00011/5). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the South African National Research Foundation (SFH106264 to HT Cronjé) and the Newton Fund Foundation (AMS-NAF1-Pieters to M Pieters). HR Elliott works in the Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, which is supported by the Medical Research Council and the University of Bristol (MC_UU_00011/5). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.