To identify additional transcription control pathways that might contribute to isolation-linked differences in genomic activity, we carried out exploratory TELiS analyses of 190 other vertebrate TFBM motifs from the TRANSFAC database (Table 3). Two findings that emerged consistently across parameteric variations in analysis parameters involved increased activity of the CREB/ATF family of transcription factors (average 2.2-fold increase in promoter TFBM prevalence, p = 0.0044) and decreased activity of Octamer (Oct) family transcription factors (average 62.2% reduction, p = 0.0004) (Figure 3). Increased CREB/ATF activity is consistent with microarray indications that the PRKAR1A regulatory subunit of PKA was under-expressed in high-lonely participants, which could constitutively de-repress PKA signaling to CREB. Decreased activity of Oct transcription factors is consistent with the observed under-expression of the Ikaros transcription factor (ZNFN1A1) and other B lymphocyte maturation markers.
