Analysis of DNA methylation at birth and in childhood reveals changes associated with season of birth and latitude.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Seasonal variations in environmental exposures at birth or during gestation are associated with numerous adult traits and health outcomes later in life. Whether DNA methylation (DNAm) plays a role in the molecular mechanisms underlying the associations between birth season and lifelong phenotypes remains unclear.

Methods

We carried out epigenome-wide meta-analyses within the Pregnancy And Childhood Epigenetic Consortium to identify associations of DNAm with birth season, both at differentially methylated probes (DMPs) and regions (DMRs). Associations were examined at two time points: at birth (21 cohorts, N = 9358) and in children aged 1-11 years (12 cohorts, N = 3610). We conducted meta-analyses to assess the impact of latitude on birth season-specific associatio

SUBMITTER: Kadalayil L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10496224 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature