Maternal prenatal stress induces sex-dependent changes in tRNA fragment families and cholinergic pathways in newborns.

ABSTRACT: Maternal perceived prenatal stress (PPS) is a known risk factor for diverse developmental impairments in newborns, but the underlying molecular processes are incompletely understood. Here, we report that maternal PPS altered the birth profiles of blood transfer RNA fragments (tRFs), 16-50 nt long non-random cleavage products of tRNAs, in a sex-dependent manner. Importantly, comparing stressed versus control maternal and umbilical cord blood serum presented alterations that were not limited to individual tRFs, but rather reflected selective changes in particular tRF families grouped by their mitochondrial or nuclear genome origin, parental tRNA coded amino acid, and cleavage type. Specifically, tRF families that show stress- and sex-specific effects, revealed shared length and expression pa

SUBMITTER: Vaknine Treidel S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12339370 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature