Obesity-related CpG Methylation (cg07814318) of Kruppel-like Factor-13 (KLF13) Gene with Childhood Obesity and its cis-Methylation Quantitative Loci

The cg07814318 hypermethylation of Kruppel-like factor 13 (KLF13) gene has been reported for its relevancy with Body Mass Index (BMI) from European origin. We explored the cg07814318 methylation and its cis-meQTL (cis-methylation quantitative loci) of KLF13 from a childhood obesity cohort. The cg07814318 methylation in blood was significantly associated with obesity and correlated with several obesity-related physical and biochemical traits. We examined the same loci from purified three human cell types (n = 47), i.e., pre-adipocytes, adipocytes and islets. The cg07814318 methylation pattern in pre-adipocytes and islets were significant higher in cells from subjects with a higher BMI compared with control subjects. By exome sequencing of KLF13 gene in blood with the same cohort, we found nine SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) within its gene body, and two SNPs (rs11537749 and rs12595641) were as cis-meQTL of cg07814318. There was the 2.01% methylation change of cg07814318 between homozygous dominant and recessive genotypes, especially, in rs12595641. The sequencing variations within KLF13 genes could drive dynamic modifications of obesity-related CpG methylation. Differential DNA methylation patterns in the KLF13 gene determined from separate blood samples showed that this criterion could be used as a surrogate for representing overall epigenetic changes in cells related to obesity.