coMethDMR

coMethDMR identifies genomic regions associated with continuous phenotypes by optimally leveraging covariations among CpGs within predefined genomic regions.

Key Features:

• Co-methylated sub-region selection: Selects co-methylated sub-regions first without using any outcome information.
• Association testing: Tests association between methylation within the sub-region and continuous phenotype using a random coefficient mixed effects model.
• Simultaneous modeling: Models both variations between CpG sites within the region and differential methylation simultaneously.

Scientific Applications:

• Epigenome-wide association studies: Accurate identification of co-methylated and differentially methylated regions in epigenome-wide association studies.
• Continuous phenotype analysis: Identifies genomic regions associated with continuous phenotypes by leveraging covariations among CpGs.

Methodology:

coMethDMR carries out a two-step approach: first selecting co-methylated sub-regions without using outcome information, then testing association between methylation within the sub-region and continuous phenotype using a random coefficient mixed effects model.