Epigenetic array data from the Northern Ireland COhort for the Longitudinal study of Ageing (NICOLA)

Epigenetic array data from the Northern Ireland COhort for the Longitudinal study of Ageing (NICOLA) | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Data Note Epigenetic array data from the Northern Ireland COhort for the Longitudinal study of Ageing (NICOLA) Laura Jane Smyth, Claire Hill, Claire Potter, Ian Young, Bernadette McGuinness, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5397301/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The Northern Ireland COhort for the Longitudinal study of Ageing (NICOLA) is Northern Ireland’s largest national population cohort collecting longitudinal data from a representative sample of older people. NICOLA’s Wave 1 includes 8,283 participants aged over 50 years, additionally recruiting 195 household partners living at the same address as primary participants. Baseline WAVE 1 data includes computer-assisted personal interviews, self-completed questionnaires and in-person health assessments to help researchers explore how social, economic, health, lifestyle, and biological factors influence healthy ageing. A subset of NICOLA (n=3,471 participants; 44%) participated in a health assessment at baseline that included collection of blood samples for molecular analysis. Objectives: To generate epigenetic data that will help explain how people’s social, economic, health, lifestyle, environmental, and biochemical stressors change a person’s underlying biology to influence their risk of disease across the life course. Data description: All data is derived from peripheral blood samples. Epigenetic data was generated using the Infinium MethylationEPIC v1.0 BeadChip array (Illumina, USA) and is available for 1,976 NICOLA participants during Wave 1, of which 1,870 samples passed quality control, generating single site resolution data for DNA methylation at 862,927 sites. Ageing Biomarker CpG Epigenetic Methylation Molecular NICOLA Northern Ireland Population Objective The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) is Northern Ireland’s largest health and social care cohort collecting longitudinal data from a representative sample of the over-50s population (n=8,283)[1], [2]. An additional 195 individuals were included as either spouses or partners of invited individuals who resided in the same home at time of interview, who were under the age of 50 (n=8,478 total). NICOLA’s Wave 1 cohort includes a strong focus on molecular biomarkers; this data note describes epigenetic data that is available for a subset of individuals who provided blood samples at the baseline health assessment collection Wave 1. Epigenetics provides a link between our inherited DNA and environmental influences from a person’s diet, medication, lifestyle, and environment. Epigenetic data was generated in NICOLA from the Infinium MethylationEPIC v1.0 BeadChip array (Illumina, USA) for 1,992 individuals, which resulted in quality-controlled methylation data for 1,976 individuals arising from variations in DNA methylation at 862,927 sites. The epigenetic methylation .idat files are available through data access requests made to the European Genome-Phenome Archive using study accession number EGAS00001007915, data access committee accession number EGAC00001003504 and policy accession number EGAP00001003589. Data description NICOLA Sample Collection and Preparation Blood samples were collected from NICOLA participants in EDTA tubes during in-person health assessments at QUB’s clinical research facility within Belfast City Hospital before being processed to separate plasma and buffy coats using aseptic technique. DNA was extracted from the buffy coats, quantified using PicoGreen, normalised to 200 ng/μL using 0.1 TE and stored in multiple aliquots at -80°C to minimise freeze/thaw cycles. This maximises utility of high molecular weight DNA for molecular studies which is particularly important for epigenetic analysis where the DNA storage methods may have a major impact on DNA methylation levels[3]. Measurement of Epigenetic Biomarkers Blood-derived DNA samples were processed by Eurofins Scientific (https://www.eurofinsgenomics.eu). In total, 800 ng of DNA per sample was bisulphite treated (BST) using the EZ DNA Methylation™ Kit (Zymo Research, USA) following manufacturer’s instructions. All samples were analysed together, in the same laboratory as a single batch on one iScan, critically important for epigenetic data generation. To assess the methylation status of the cytosine-phosphate-guanine sites (CpGs), the Infinium MethylationEPIC v1.0 BeadChip array (Illumina, USA) was used following the manufacturer’s instructions, quantitatively targeting 862,927 CpGs across the genome[4]. Participant samples were randomly distributed across each array. This high throughput platform evaluated individual methylation levels (β values) for each CpG site, ranging from 0 (unmethylated) to 1 (complete methylation). For replication purposes, DNA is available for a further independent ~1,500 individuals within the NICOLA cohort. Several significant Epigenome Wide Association Study (EWAS) associations from this microarray data have been validated in-house using BST targeted next generation sequencing or Sequenom EpiTYPER. Quality Control Quality control (QC) included evaluation of the BST conversion efficiency, dye specificity, hybridisation, and staining in line with pre-set standards[5], assessed using GenomeStudio v1.8 and BeadArray Controls Reporter software platforms (both Illumina)[6], [7]. GenomeStudio v1.8 was also used to perform a sex-check for all individuals comparing array-based predictions to phenotype data. Proportional white cell counts (WCCs) were estimated for CD8+ T, CD4+ T and CD19+ B lymphocytes, CD56+ natural killer cells, CD14+ monocytes and CD15+ granulocytes using the Houseman method[8], the minfi Bioconductor (v3.10) package and the raw.idat files. These are available via a request to the NICOLA data access committee. QC, pre-processing, and differential methylation analyses were undertaken in the R statistical environment utilising RnBeads (v2.6.0)[9]. Cross-reactive probes and those located within three base pairs of common SNPs were excluded due to their abilities to map to multiple areas of the genome and affect probe hybridisation, respectively. Unreliable probes and samples were removed using the Greedycut algorithm (p<0.05) alongside those located on sex chromosomes. Methylation β values were generated for all CpG sites and normalised using the beta-mixture quantile (BMIQ) normalisation method. DNA methylation data was generated for 1,992 individuals. From these, 16 participants have subsequently withdrawn consent and requested that their data be removed. Exemplar Epigenetic Data EWAS analysis of the NICOLA dataset has contributed to studies examining diabetic kidney disease attributed to end-stage kidney disease[10], risk preference[11], time preference[12] and socio-economic position[13]. Limitations Epigenetic data is not available for all individuals who participate in NICOLA but is available for the first 1,992 participants from Wave 1 with high quality DNA who participated in the health assessment. Participation response bias which has an over-representation of individuals with higher education levels. The study was designed to be representative of the older adult population; however, as with all health-related surveys, selection bias may have attracted relatively healthier individuals. Although ethnic minorities are also included within the cohort, the small number included within this group in NI would not be enough to report statistically robust estimates. Abbreviations BST bisulphite treated CpG cytosine-phosphate-guanine DNA deoxyribose nucleic acid EDTA ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid GRCh37 Genome Reference Consortium Human Build 37 NICOLA Northern Ireland COhort for the Longitudinal study of Ageing QC quality control Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences Ethics Committee, Queen’s University Belfast. Consent for biological samples has been collected in accordance with the Human Tissue Act (2004). Consent for publication All data is anonymised. Competing interests Authors declare no competing interests. Funding The Atlantic Philanthropies, the Economic and Social Research Council (ES/L0084559/1), the UKCRC Centre of Excellence for Public Health Northern Ireland, the Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland, the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, the Health and Social Care Research and Development Division of the Public Health Agency, the Wellcome Trust/Wolfson Foundation and Queen’s University Belfast provided core financial support for NICOLA Waves 1 and 2. The authors alone are responsible for the interpretation of the data and any views or opinions presented are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the NICOLA Study team. Author Contribution AJM, BM, FK and IY were responsible for study concept, design, and funding acquisition. LJS prepared the data. LJS, CH and CP prepared the initial drafts of the manuscript. LS, CH, CP, and AJM carried out subsequent revisions. All authors contributed to the critical revision of the manuscript, proof reading and approval of the final version. Acknowledgement We are grateful to all the participants of the NICOLA Study, and the whole NICOLA team, which includes nursing staff, research scientists, clerical staff, computer and laboratory technicians, managers and receptionists. Data Availability The data described in this Data note can be freely and openly accessed through the European Genome-Phenome Archive under the study accession number EGAS00001007915. References Neville CE, et al. Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA): health assessment protocol, participant profile and patterns of participation. BMC Public Health. 2023;23(1):1–19. 10.1186/s12889-023-15355-x . Neville C, et al. Cohort Profile: The Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA). Int J Epidemiol. 2023;1–11. 10.1093/ije/dyad026 . Kopfnagel V, Klopp N, Bernemann I, Nizhegorodtseva N, Wilson R. Effects of Repeated Freeze and Thaw Cycles on the Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Profile of Isolated Genomic DNA. Biopreserv Biobank. 2023. 10.1089/bio.2022.0045 . Illumina. Infinium MethylationEPIC v2.0 Kit. Accessed: Jul. 18, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://emea.illumina.com/products/by-type/microarray-kits/infinium-methylation-epic.html Illumina, BeadArray Controls Reporter Software Guide., 2015. [Online]. Available: https://support.illumina.com/content/dam/illumina-support/documents/documentation/chemistry_documentation/infinium_assays/infinium_hd_methylation/beadarray-controls-reporter-user-guide-1000000004009-00.pdf Illumina. Convert array data into meaningful results. Accessed: Jul. 18, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://emea.illumina.com/techniques/microarrays/array-data-analysis-experimental-design/genomestudio.html Illumina. BeadArray Controls Reporter Software Guide, 2015. Houseman EA, et al. DNA methylation arrays as surrogate measures of cell mixture distribution. BMC Bioinformatics. 2012;8(13):86. 10.1186/1471-2105-13-86 . Müller F, et al. RnBeads 2.0: Comprehensive analysis of DNA methylation data. Genome Biol. Mar. 2019;20(1). 10.1186/s13059-019-1664-9 . Smyth LJ, et al. Assessment of differentially methylated loci in individuals with end-stage kidney disease attributed to diabetic kidney disease: an exploratory study. Clin Epigenetics. Dec. 2021;13(1). 10.1186/s13148-021-01081-x . Smyth LJ, et al. An investigation into DNA methylation patterns associated with risk preference in older individuals. Epigenetics. 2022;17(10):1159–72. 10.1080/15592294.2021.1992910 . Smyth LJ et al. September., Differential methylation in CD44 and SEC23A is associated with time preference in older individuals, Econ Hum Biol , vol. 49, no. 2021, pp. 0–2, 2023, 10.1016/j.ehb.2023.101233 Fiorito G, et al. Socioeconomic position, lifestyle habits and biomarkers of epigenetic aging: A multi-cohort analysis. Aging. Apr. 2019;11(7):2045–70. 10.18632/aging.101900 . Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5397301","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Data Note","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":374831221,"identity":"d7af5046-abb1-4bcb-b4bb-65e602ec5e41","order_by":0,"name":"Laura Jane Smyth","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Queen's University Belfast","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Laura","middleName":"Jane","lastName":"Smyth","suffix":""},{"id":374831222,"identity":"3d443c2e-4f07-4210-a790-d8e8b556f0b0","order_by":1,"name":"Claire Hill","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Queen's University Belfast","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Claire","middleName":"","lastName":"Hill","suffix":""},{"id":374831223,"identity":"059811a1-0475-4262-9555-25770551b222","order_by":2,"name":"Claire Potter","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Queen's University Belfast","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Claire","middleName":"","lastName":"Potter","suffix":""},{"id":374831224,"identity":"16ef9efe-8ba8-443a-8f2b-9427f608c94c","order_by":3,"name":"Ian Young","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Queen's University Belfast","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ian","middleName":"","lastName":"Young","suffix":""},{"id":374831225,"identity":"7765f1a0-60a1-4bef-946e-50f88ea92ffd","order_by":4,"name":"Bernadette McGuinness","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Queen's University Belfast","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Bernadette","middleName":"","lastName":"McGuinness","suffix":""},{"id":374831226,"identity":"75a297f1-9472-488d-a676-7c990b582696","order_by":5,"name":"Frank Kee","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Queen's University Belfast","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Frank","middleName":"","lastName":"Kee","suffix":""},{"id":374831227,"identity":"649138b4-e5ae-4b59-bf6a-aa1681c54103","order_by":6,"name":"Amy Jayne McKnight","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA8UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHCCBDBmY+BhYPgA4QHBAeK0MDbOIFILTBsPYzMPMVr4GxgeMN2oScvj4197/LFN2eE8BvbDD5h5zuDWInGAIYE551hOMZvEu8TmnHOHixl40gyYeW7gcRJIS25DRWKbxBnD5ty2w4kNDDkMzDwfcOuQR9FiCdLC/wa/FgOIlpzENv4ew2ZGkBYJkC14HGZ4mCHhcM6xNKAtPIYze86lAz31zODgHDzelzvek/g4pyY5cX7/GYMPP8qs8/j5kx8+eHMMj/eZeRIOgBkSCUCCDYwIRSQ7VJ7/AETLKBgFo2AUjAJ0AACIyVNjbr1powAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Queen's University Belfast","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Amy","middleName":"Jayne","lastName":"McKnight","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-11-05 17:23:09","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5397301/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5397301/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":74475965,"identity":"2181ed34-b637-4b60-a2ad-110c0a4f9b35","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-01-22 15:33:28","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":375705,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5397301/v1/7a5412a3-18fc-4ddc-8ba0-9d24a59d9819.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Epigenetic array data from the Northern Ireland COhort for the Longitudinal study of Ageing (NICOLA)","fulltext":[{"header":"Objective","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA) is Northern Ireland\u0026rsquo;s largest health and social care cohort collecting longitudinal data from a representative sample of the over-50s population (n=8,283)[1], [2]. An additional 195 individuals were included as either spouses or partners of invited individuals who resided in the same home at time of interview, who were under the age of 50 (n=8,478 total). NICOLA\u0026rsquo;s Wave 1 cohort includes a strong focus on molecular biomarkers; this data note describes epigenetic data that is available for a subset of individuals who provided blood samples at the baseline health assessment collection Wave 1.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEpigenetics provides a link between our inherited DNA and environmental influences from a person\u0026rsquo;s diet, medication, lifestyle, and environment. Epigenetic data was generated in NICOLA from the Infinium MethylationEPIC v1.0 BeadChip array (Illumina, USA) for 1,992 individuals, which resulted in quality-controlled methylation data for 1,976 individuals arising from variations in DNA methylation at 862,927 sites.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe epigenetic methylation .idat files are available through data access requests made to the European Genome-Phenome Archive using study accession number EGAS00001007915, data access committee accession number EGAC00001003504 and policy accession number EGAP00001003589.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Data description","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNICOLA Sample Collection and Preparation\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlood samples were collected from NICOLA participants in EDTA tubes during in-person health assessments at QUB\u0026rsquo;s clinical research facility within Belfast City Hospital before being processed to separate plasma and buffy coats using aseptic technique. DNA was extracted from the buffy coats, quantified using PicoGreen, normalised to 200 ng/\u0026mu;L using 0.1 TE and stored in multiple aliquots at -80\u0026deg;C to minimise freeze/thaw cycles. This maximises utility of high molecular weight DNA for molecular studies which is particularly important for epigenetic analysis where the DNA storage methods may have a major impact on DNA methylation levels[3].\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMeasurement of Epigenetic Biomarkers\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBlood-derived DNA samples were processed by Eurofins Scientific (https://www.eurofinsgenomics.eu). In total, 800 ng of DNA per sample was bisulphite treated (BST) using the EZ DNA Methylation\u0026trade; Kit (Zymo Research, USA) following manufacturer\u0026rsquo;s instructions. All samples were analysed together, in the same laboratory as a single batch on one iScan, critically important for epigenetic data generation. To assess the methylation status of the cytosine-phosphate-guanine sites (CpGs), the Infinium MethylationEPIC v1.0 BeadChip array (Illumina, USA) was used following the manufacturer\u0026rsquo;s instructions, quantitatively targeting 862,927 CpGs across the genome[4].\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eParticipant samples were randomly distributed across each array. This high throughput platform evaluated individual methylation levels (\u0026beta;\u0026nbsp;values) for each CpG site, ranging from 0 (unmethylated) to 1 (complete methylation). For replication purposes, DNA is available for a further independent ~1,500 individuals within the NICOLA cohort. Several significant Epigenome Wide Association Study (EWAS) associations from this microarray data have been validated in-house using BST targeted next generation sequencing or Sequenom EpiTYPER.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eQuality Control\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQuality control (QC) included evaluation of the BST conversion efficiency, dye specificity, hybridisation, and staining in line with pre-set standards[5], assessed using GenomeStudio v1.8 and BeadArray Controls Reporter software platforms (both Illumina)[6], [7]. GenomeStudio v1.8 was also used to perform a sex-check for all individuals comparing array-based predictions to phenotype data.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eProportional white cell counts (WCCs) were estimated for CD8+ T, CD4+ T and CD19+ B lymphocytes, CD56+ natural killer cells, CD14+ monocytes and CD15+ granulocytes using the Houseman method[8], the minfi Bioconductor (v3.10) package and the raw.idat files. These are available via a request to the NICOLA data access committee.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eQC, pre-processing, and differential methylation analyses were undertaken in the R statistical environment utilising RnBeads (v2.6.0)[9]. Cross-reactive probes and those located within three base pairs of common SNPs were excluded due to their abilities to map to multiple areas of the genome and affect probe hybridisation, respectively. Unreliable probes and samples were removed using the Greedycut algorithm (p\u0026lt;0.05) alongside those located on sex chromosomes. Methylation \u0026beta; values were generated for all CpG sites and normalised using the beta-mixture quantile (BMIQ) normalisation method.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDNA methylation data was generated for 1,992 individuals. From these, 16 participants have subsequently withdrawn consent and requested that their data be removed.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eExemplar Epigenetic Data\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEWAS analysis of the NICOLA dataset has contributed to studies examining diabetic kidney disease attributed to end-stage kidney disease[10], risk preference[11], time preference[12] and socio-economic position[13].\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLimitations\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eEpigenetic data is not available for all individuals who participate in NICOLA but is available for the first 1,992 participants from Wave 1 with high quality DNA who participated in the health assessment.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eParticipation response bias which has an over-representation of individuals with higher education levels.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eThe study was designed to be representative of the older adult population; however, as with all health-related surveys, selection bias may have attracted relatively healthier individuals.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAlthough ethnic minorities are also included within the cohort, the small number included within this group in NI would not be enough to report statistically robust estimates.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e"},{"header":"Abbreviations","content":"\u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionList\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eBST\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ebisulphite treated\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eCpG\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003ecytosine-phosphate-guanine\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eDNA\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003edeoxyribose nucleic acid\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eEDTA\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eethylenediaminetetraacetic acid\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eGRCh37\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eGenome Reference Consortium Human Build 37\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eNICOLA\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eNorthern Ireland COhort for the Longitudinal study of Ageing\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"DefinitionListEntry\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Term\"\u003eQC\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"Description\"\u003e \u003cp\u003equality control\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eEthical approval for the study was obtained from the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences Ethics Committee, Queen\u0026rsquo;s University Belfast. Consent for biological samples has been collected in accordance with the Human Tissue Act (2004).\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eConsent for publication\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cp\u003eAll data is anonymised.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003ch2\u003eCompeting interests\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eAuthors declare no competing interests.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eFunding\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe Atlantic Philanthropies, the Economic and Social Research Council (ES/L0084559/1), the UKCRC Centre of Excellence for Public Health Northern Ireland, the Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland, the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, the Health and Social Care Research and Development Division of the Public Health Agency, the Wellcome Trust/Wolfson Foundation and Queen\u0026rsquo;s University Belfast provided core financial support for NICOLA Waves 1 and 2. The authors alone are responsible for the interpretation of the data and any views or opinions presented are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the NICOLA Study team.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAJM, BM, FK and IY were responsible for study concept, design, and funding acquisition. LJS prepared the data. LJS, CH and CP prepared the initial drafts of the manuscript. LS, CH, CP, and AJM carried out subsequent revisions. All authors contributed to the critical revision of the manuscript, proof reading and approval of the final version.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgement\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe are grateful to all the participants of the NICOLA Study, and the whole NICOLA team, which includes nursing staff, research scientists, clerical staff, computer and laboratory technicians, managers and receptionists.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe data described in this Data note can be freely and openly accessed through the European Genome-Phenome Archive under the study accession number EGAS00001007915.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNeville CE, et al. Northern Ireland Cohort for the Longitudinal Study of Ageing (NICOLA): health assessment protocol, participant profile and patterns of participation. 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September., Differential methylation in CD44 and SEC23A is associated with time preference in older individuals, \u003cem\u003eEcon Hum Biol\u003c/em\u003e, vol. 49, no. 2021, pp. 0\u0026ndash;2, 2023, \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.1016/j.ehb.2023.101233\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.1016/j.ehb.2023.101233\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e \u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFiorito G, et al. Socioeconomic position, lifestyle habits and biomarkers of epigenetic aging: A multi-cohort analysis. Aging. Apr. 2019;11(7):2045\u0026ndash;70. \u003cspan class=\"ExternalRef\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"RefSource\"\u003e10.18632/aging.101900\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan address=\"10.18632/aging.101900\" targettype=\"DOI\" class=\"RefTarget\"\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Ageing, Biomarker, CpG, Epigenetic, Methylation, Molecular, NICOLA, Northern Ireland, Population","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5397301/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5397301/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe Northern Ireland COhort for the Longitudinal study of Ageing (NICOLA) is Northern Ireland’s largest national population cohort collecting longitudinal data from a representative sample of older people. NICOLA’s Wave 1 includes 8,283 participants aged over 50 years, additionally recruiting 195 household partners living at the same address as primary participants. Baseline WAVE 1 data includes computer-assisted personal interviews, self-completed questionnaires and in-person health assessments to help researchers explore how social, economic, health, lifestyle, and biological factors influence healthy ageing. A subset of NICOLA (n=3,471 participants; 44%) participated in a health assessment at baseline that included collection of blood samples for molecular analysis.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eObjectives: \u003cbr\u003e\nTo generate epigenetic data that will help explain how people’s social, economic, health, lifestyle, environmental, and biochemical stressors change a person’s underlying biology to influence their risk of disease across the life course.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eData description: \u003cbr\u003e\nAll data is derived from peripheral blood samples. Epigenetic data was generated using the Infinium MethylationEPIC v1.0 BeadChip array (Illumina, USA) and is available for 1,976 NICOLA participants during Wave 1, of which 1,870 samples passed quality control, generating single site resolution data for DNA methylation at 862,927 sites.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Epigenetic array data from the Northern Ireland COhort for the Longitudinal study of Ageing (NICOLA)","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2024-11-21 18:11:32","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5397301/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"d8f9edab-db73-4ad5-9ec0-b7b6cdf75ac9","owner":[],"postedDate":"November 21st, 2024","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-05-06T12:13:07+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2024-11-21 18:11:32","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-5397301","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-5397301","identity":"rs-5397301","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"qtupq5eGEP_6zYnWcrvyt","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}