Epigenome-wide Analysis of Asthma from The Asthma BioRepository for Integrative Genomic Exploration (Asthma BRIDGE) Project

Epigenetic analysis of DNA methylation for whole blood and CD4+ cell types was performed. Gene expressions were compared betweenpatients with asthma and the control groups. The Asthma BioRepository for Integrative Genomic Exploration (Asthma BRIDGE) was a multicenter North American initiative to establish a cohort of asthmatic and healthy subjects for the study of integrative genomics. It includes Asthma BRIDGE participants for whom genotype, methylation and gene expression data were available. Asthma BRIDGE recruited subjects from six cohorts participating in the EVE Consortium for an asthma GWAS: the Chicago Asthma Genetics (CAG) study, the Childhood Asthma Management Program (CAMP), the Childhood Asthma Research and Education Network (CARE), the Children’s Health Study (CHS), the Genomic Research on Asthma in the African Diaspora (GRAAD) study, and the Mexico City Childhood Asthma Study (MCCAS). Written informed consent was obtained from all subjects prior to enrollment in the study, in accordance with the local ethics committees at each institution.