Prenatal methylmercury exposure and DNA methylation in seven-year-old children in the Seychelles Child Development Study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Methylmercury (MeHg) is present in fish and is a neurotoxicant at sufficiently high levels. One potential mechanism of MeHg toxicity early in life is epigenetic dysregulation that may affect long-term neurodevelopment. Altered DNA methylation of nervous system-related genes has been associated with adult mental health outcomes.

Objective

To assess associations between prenatal MeHg exposure and DNA methylation (at the cytosine of CG dinucleotides, CpGs) in three nervous system-related genes, encoding brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF), glutamate receptor subunit NR2B (GRIN2B), and the glucocorticoid receptor (NR3C1), in children who were exposed to MeHg in utero.

Methods

We tested 406 seven-year-old Seychellois children participating in the Seychelles

SUBMITTER: Cediel Ulloa A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11849698 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature