Citation
Ravi, Sudharshan; Shanahan, Michael J.; Levitt, Brandt; Harris, Kathleen Mullan; & Cole, Steven W. (2024). Socioeconomic Inequalities in Young Adulthood Disrupt the Immune Transcriptomic Landscape via Upstream Regulators. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 1255. PMCID: PMC10787749Abstract
Disparities in socio-economic status (SES) predict many immune system-related diseases, and previous research documents relationships between SES and the immune cell transcriptome. Drawing on a bioinformatically-informed network approach, we situate these findings in a broader molecular framework by examining the upstream regulators of SES-associated transcriptional alterations. Data come from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), a nationally representative sample of 4,543 adults in the United States. Results reveal a network-of differentially-expressed genes, transcription factors, and protein neighbors of transcription factors- that shows widespread SES-related dysregulation of the immune system. Mediational models suggest that body mass index plays a key role in accounting for many of these associations. Overall, the results reveal the central role of upstream regulators in socioeconomic differences in the molecular basis of immunity, which propagate to increase risk of chronic health conditions in later-life.URL
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-51517-6Reference Type
Journal ArticleYear Published
2024Journal Title
Scientific ReportsAuthor(s)
Ravi, SudharshanShanahan, Michael J.
Levitt, Brandt
Harris, Kathleen Mullan
Cole, Steven W.
Article Type
RegularPMCID
PMC10787749Data Set/Study
National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health)Continent/Country
United StatesState
NonspecificRace/Ethnicity
BlackWhite
Hispanic