Title

Early Life Adversity is Associated with Differential MiRNA Expression in Older African American Women at Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

Author(s) Information

Karen Saban, Loyola University ChicagoFollow
Michael ZillioxFollow
Dina Tell, Loyola University ChicagoFollow
Herbert Mathews, Loyola University Chicago
Linda W. Janusek, Loyola University ChicagoFollow

Streaming Media

Name of Corresponding Author

Karen Saban

Credentials of Corresponding Author

PhD, RN

Purpose

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the association between early life adversity (ELA) and whole blood miRNA in African American (AA) women at risk for cardiovascular disease CVD).

Background and significance

Background and Significance: Early life adversity, such as childhood maltreatment, has been linked to negative health consequences during adulthood. Evidence demonstrates that AA women experience higher levels of ELA and have higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Studies in animal models have suggested that miRNAs may play an important role in the mechanism linking ELA to inflammatory disease, such as CVD. However, little is known about which miRNAs are associated with ELA in AA women

Method

Methods: A cross sectional sample of AA women (N=18) (mean age=50.54 SD=11.03) participated in the study. Participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) to assess early life adversity. Whole blood was collected in Paxgene tubes and stored at -80C until batch analyzed. cDNA libraries were generated using the TruSeq Small RNA library prep kit and sequenced on the Illumina MiSeq to render 50 base pair single end reads. The reads were mapped to GRCh38 using Bowtie2 (v. 2.2.1), counts were generated with HTSeq (v. 0.6.1p1) and differential expression was calculated using DESeq2 (v. 1.14.1). A p value of

Results

Analysis: The reads were mapped to GRCh38 using Bowtie2 (v. 2.2.1), counts were generated with HTSeq (v. 0.6.1p1) and differential expression was calculated using DESeq2 (v. 1.14.1). A pvalue of

Results: Participants who reported higher levels of ELA (CTQ >35) as compared to those with low levels (CTQ score

Conclusions

Conclusions and Implications: Identifying specific miRNAs that are associated with ELA will contribute to a better understanding of how ELA leads to negative health consequences in adulthood.