DNA methylation of antisense noncoding RNA in the INK locus (ANRIL) is associated with coronary artery disease in a Chinese population

To explore the association between methylation of antisense non-coding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL) and coronary artery disease (CAD) development. Methylation levels of ANRIL in 100 subjects with CAD and 100 controls were quantitatively analyzed using Sequenom MassARRAY. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis was used to identify novel pathways. Our analyses indicated that 7 to 8 CpG sites within the 2(nd) CpG island located upstream of ANRIL, also known as cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2B – antisense 1 (CDKN2B-AS1), are hyper-methylated in CAD subjects compared to controls (p = 0.034). The 40(th) CpG site within the 2(nd) CpG island located upstream of CDKN2B-AS1 was methylated to a lesser extent in CAD subjects compared to controls (p = 0.045). Both Pearson and Spearman analyses indicated that methylation levels were significantly associated with total cholesterol (r = 0.204, p = 0.004), fasting high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (r = 0.165, p = 0.020), and fasting low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (r = 0.265, p = 0.000). KEGG pathway analysis revealed a significant enrichment of genes associated with the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) signaling pathway. Among them, CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBPβ) was identified as a key transcription factor that promotes expression of CDKN2B-AS1 through promotor interaction. DNA methylation of the ANRIL promoter was significantly associated with CAD development in our study. Our analyses suggest that C/EBPβ is a key transcription factor that promotes CDKN2B-AS1 expression by directly interacting with the gene promotor mediated by TNF signaling.