Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41859015›Full record

ArticleInternational journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease2026

Epigenetic Mechanisms Linking Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Atrial Fibrillation: A Multi-Omics Mendelian Randomization Study.

MiaoAn Zhang, TianFeng Li, LingLin Tan, Jinhua Yu, Qiying Yao, Liang Chen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

MiaoAn ZhangDepartment of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, People's Republic of China.
TianFeng LiDepartment of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, People's Republic of China.
LingLin TanDepartment of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, People's Republic of China.
Jinhua YuDepartment of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, People's Republic of China.
Qiying YaoDepartment of Physiology, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, People's Republic of China.
Liang ChenDepartment of Cardiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University, Dalian, People's Republic of China.ORCID 0009-0009-7147-8494

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background and Objective: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and atrial fibrillation (AF) frequently co-occur, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. We assessed whether genetic liability to COPD increases AF risk and mapped epigenetic mediators using multi-omics data. Methods: We integrated genome-wide association data for COPD and AF with epigenome-wide DNA methylation profiles and gene expression datasets. Summary-data-based Mendelian randomization served as the primary approach to link disease-associated variants with methylation, gene expression, and AF, complemented by two-sample Mendelian randomization, colocalization, and checks for pleiotropy. We prioritized COPD-related CpG sites and genes, examined functional context using protein-protein interaction networks and pathway enrichment, and nominated candidate therapeutics with drug-prediction algorithms followed by molecular docking. Analyses were conducted primarily in cohorts of European ancestry. Results: Genetic liability to COPD was associated with a higher risk of AF (odds ratio [OR] = 1.156, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.025-1.304; p = 0.018). We identified 109 COPD-related CpG sites associated with AF risk. Cross-omics triangulation highlighted seven candidate genes, with FES showing consistent evidence across genomic, epigenetic, and transcriptomic layers. Functional analyses indicated enrichment in immune signaling and signal transduction pathways. Docking analyses suggested favorable binding between predicted drugs and their targets. Conclusion: These findings support a pathway by which COPD may influence AF risk through epigenetic regulation and prioritize CpG sites, genes, and potentially druggable targets for further study. Because the underlying datasets are predominantly from individuals of European ancestry, replication in more diverse populations is needed to assess generalizability.

Indexed as

Atrial FibrillationEpigenesis, GeneticPulmonary Disease, Chronic ObstructiveCpG IslandsDNA MethylationGenetic Predisposition to DiseaseGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansMendelian Randomization AnalysisMolecular Docking SimulationMultiomicsPhenotypeProtein Interaction MapsRisk AssessmentRisk Factorsatrial fibrillationchronic obstructive pulmonary diseasedrug targetgene expressionmethylationmulti-omicsproteinsummary-data-based mendelian randomization

Identifiers

PMID41859015
PMCPMC12997855

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.