Blood methylome signatures in children exposed to maternal type 1 diabetes are linked to protection against islet autoimmunity.

ABSTRACT: Exposure to maternal type 1 diabetes (T1D) during pregnancy provides relative protection against T1D in the offspring. This protective effect may be driven by epigenetic mechanisms. Here we conducted an epigenome-wide blood analysis on 790 young children with and 962 children without a T1D-affected mother, and identified differential DNA methylation (q < 0.05) at multiple loci and regions. These included the Homeobox A gene cluster and 15 T1D susceptibility genes. The differential methylation was found in transcriptionally relevant regions associated with immune function, including sites previously linked to T1D-related methylation loci and protein biomarkers. Propensity scores for methylation at T1D susceptibility loci could predict the development of islet autoimmunity in offspring born

SUBMITTER: Ott R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12638243 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature