Deciphering epigenetic changes related to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in a genetically informative, longitudinal twin family study: The TwinLife Epigenetic Change Satellite (TECS) project

• Applicants: Professorin Dr. Elisabeth Binder; Professor Dr. Martin Diewald; Professor Dr. Andreas J. Forstner; Professor Dr. Christian Kandler; Professor Dr. Markus M. Nöthen; Professor Dr. Frank M. Spinath
• Subject Area: Personality Psychology, Clinical and Medical Psychology, Methodology ; Empirical Social Research ; Human Genetics
• Term: since 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 458609264

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is a global challenge leading to extensive individual and societal constraints. The pandemic has consequences not only for physical health, but also for mental and social well-being. The impact of the pandemic, however, varies between individuals depending on constitutional, psychological, and social factors (e.g., socio-economic status). Medium- and long-term effects on individual phenotypes and behavior can be mediated and stabilized through epigenetic changes (e.g., changes in DNA methylation).The aim of the proposed project is thus to systematically investigate epigenetic effects associated with the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic stressors in a large longitudinal multiple-cohort twin family study – TwinLife (www.twin-life.de). Its extended twin family design is ideally suited, as it focuses on behavioral and social phenotypes over the lifespan. As the collection of a first saliva sample was conducted before the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, we have now the unique opportunity to investigate epigenetic changes associated with the pandemic in thousand twins and their families. The deciphering of those changes and its dependence on individual risk factors and buffering resources will reveal important insights, which will allow us to identify risks and risk compensation even before negative long-term consequences of pandemic-related experiences become visible in individual development, overt behaviors, or life course outcomes. They may be comparable to early warning signs in functional medical, psychological, and sociological monitoring on the level of the individual and the core family.For the planned longitudinal epigenetic analyses, we will use phenotypic data and additional saliva samples collected during and after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and investigate a subgroup of 1,000 TwinLife participants using the MethylationEPIC array, which allows epigenome-wide analyses of >850,000 methylation sites. The proposed epigenetic analyses will be leveraged by existing genome-wide genotype data to study gene-environment interactions. The results will be followed up in international data sets for intercultural comparisons and replications.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants