A cross-study analysis of prenatal exposures to environmental contaminants and the epigenome: support for stress-responsive transcription factor occupancy as a mediator of gene-specific CpG methylation patterning.

ABSTRACT: A biological mechanism by which exposure to environmental contaminants results in gene-specific CpG methylation patterning is currently unknown. We hypothesize that gene-specific CpG methylation is related to environmentally perturbed transcription factor occupancy. To test this hypothesis, a database of 396 genes with altered CpG methylation either in cord blood leukocytes or placental tissue was compiled from 14 studies representing assessments of six environmental contaminants. Subsequently, an in silico approach was used to identify transcription factor binding sites enriched among the genes with altered CpG methylation in relationship to the suite of environmental contaminants. For each study, the sequences of the promoter regions (representing -1000 to +500 bp from the transcription

SUBMITTER: Martin EM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4824001 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature