Edward B Quinn, Chu J Hsiao, Felicien M Maisha, Connie J Mulligan
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Prenatal maternal stress has a negative impact on child health but the mechanisms through which maternal stress affects child health are unclear. Epigenetic variation, such as DNA methylation, is a likely mechanistic candidate as DNA methylation is sensitive to environmental insults and can regulate long-term changes in gene expression. We recruited 155 mother-newborn dyads in the Democratic Republic of Congo to investigate the effects of maternal stress on DNA methylation in mothers and newborns. We used four measures of maternal stress to capture a range of stressful experiences: general trauma, sexual trauma, war trauma, and chronic stress. We identified differentially methylated positions (DMPs) associated with general trauma, sexual trauma, and war trauma in both mothers and newborns. No DMPs were associated with chronic stress. Sexual trauma was positively associated with epigenetic age acceleration across several epigenetic clocks in mothers. General trauma and war trauma were positively associated with newborn epigenetic age acceleration using the extrinsic epigenetic age clock. We tested the top DMPs for enrichment of DNase I hypersensitive sites (DHS) and found no enrichment in mothers. In newborns, top DMPs associated with war trauma were enriched for DHS in embryonic and foetal cell types. Finally, one of the top DMPs associated with war trauma in newborns also predicted birthweight, completing the cycle from maternal stress to DNA methylation to newborn health outcome. Our results indicate that maternal stress is associated with site-specific changes in DNAm and epigenetic age acceleration in both mothers and newborns.
期刊介绍:
Epigenetics publishes peer-reviewed original research and review articles that provide an unprecedented forum where epigenetic mechanisms and their role in diverse biological processes can be revealed, shared, and discussed.
Epigenetics research studies heritable changes in gene expression caused by mechanisms others than the modification of the DNA sequence. Epigenetics therefore plays critical roles in a variety of biological systems, diseases, and disciplines. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
DNA methylation
Nucleosome positioning and modification
Gene silencing
Imprinting
Nuclear reprogramming
Chromatin remodeling
Non-coding RNA
Non-histone chromosomal elements
Dosage compensation
Nuclear organization
Epigenetic therapy and diagnostics
Nutrition and environmental epigenetics
Cancer epigenetics
Neuroepigenetics