What question did this study set out to answer?

This study aims to investigate how excess body weight influences DNA methylation profiles in adipose tissue among women with systemic lupus erythematosus.

February 13, 2026Open Access

Epigenetic and metabolic signatures in systemic lupus erythematous: The impact of excess body weight on adipose tissue DNA methylation profile

Key Points

This study aims to investigate how excess body weight influences DNA methylation profiles in adipose tissue among women with systemic lupus erythematosus.
Conducted a cross-sectional analysis with 36 premenopausal women diagnosed with systemic lupus erythematosus.
Participants were divided into normal weight and excess body weight categories based on BMI.
Collected data on anthropometrics, metabolism, diet, and physical activity.
Assessed genome-wide DNA methylation in subcutaneous adipose tissue using Infinium HumanMethylationEPIC BeadChip.
Identified 3783 differentially methylated CpG sites between normal weight and excess body weight groups.
Observed 1165 hypermethylated and 2618 hypomethylated sites in the excess body weight group.
Differentially methylated CpG sites were enriched in promoter and open sea regions tied to immune and metabolic pathways.
Increased expression of DNMT1 was found in the excess body weight group.

Abstract

BACKGROUND & AIMS: The interaction between systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), excess body weight, and epigenetic variation remains poorly understood. This study investigated the association between excess body weight and genome-wide DNA methylation profiles in subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) from patients with SLE. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 36 premenopausal women with SLE were classified as normal weight (NW,n = 16) or excess body weight (EBW, n = 20). Anthropometric, metabolic, dietary, and physical activity data were collected. Genome-wide DNA methylation in SAT was assessed using the Infinium HumanMethylationEPIC BeadChip. RESULTS: A total of 3783 differentially methylated CpG sites (DMCpGs) were identified between groups, with 1165 hypermethylated and 2618 hypomethylated sites in EBW patients. DMCpGs were enriched in promoter and open sea regions and annotated to immune, inflammatory, and metabolic pathways. DNMT1 expression was higher in EBW patients. CONCLUSIONS: Excess body weight is associated with distinct DNA methylation patterns in SAT from patients with SLE. CLINICALTRIALS: gov Identifier: NCT05097365.

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Carvalho et al. (Sun,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/698ebeb185a1ff6a93015fd3 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ygeno.2026.111217

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