Biological Mechanisms for Allen's Rule: DNA Methylation as Mediator of the Association Between In Utero Exposure to Environmental Heat and Tibial Growth in Childhood.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

Understanding human phenotypic plasticity in response to social, ecosystem, and climate interactions can be an important tool for designing social and public health strategies that increase climate change resilience. Sensitivity of the tibia to environmental perturbations is well established; moreover, Allen's rule predicts relatively longer tibial length in hotter climates. In this study, we hypothesized DNA methylation (DNAm) changes as potential mechanisms for impacts of environmental heat exposure in utero persisting in childhood tibial growth in Kenyan Samburu pastoralist children ages 1.8-9.6 years living in a global climate change vulnerability hotspot.

Methods

DNAm data was measured from whole saliva using the Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip array. To te

SUBMITTER: Straight B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12223481 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature