Sexual dimorphism in epigenomic responses of stem cells to extreme fetal growth.

ABSTRACT: Extreme fetal growth is associated with increased susceptibility to a range of adult diseases through an unknown mechanism of cellular memory. We tested whether heritable epigenetic processes in long-lived CD34(+) haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells showed evidence for re-programming associated with the extremes of fetal growth. Here we show that both fetal growth restriction and over-growth are associated with global shifts towards DNA hypermethylation, targeting cis-regulatory elements in proximity to genes involved in glucose homeostasis and stem cell function. We find a sexually dimorphic response; intrauterine growth restriction is associated with substantially greater epigenetic dysregulation in males, whereas large for gestational age growth predominantly affects females. The findi

SUBMITTER: Delahaye F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4197137 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature