Presence of an epigenetic signature of prenatal cigarette smoke exposure in childhood.

ABSTRACT: Prenatal exposure to tobacco smoke has lifelong health consequences. Epigenetic signatures such as differences in DNA methylation (DNAm) may be a biomarker of exposure and, further, might have functional significance for how in utero tobacco exposure may influence disease risk. Differences in infant DNAm associated with maternal smoking during pregnancy have been identified. Here we assessed whether these infant DNAm patterns are detectible in early childhood, whether they are specific to smoking, and whether childhood DNAm can classify prenatal smoke exposure status. Using the Infinium 450K array, we measured methylation at 26 CpG loci that were previously associated with prenatal smoking in infant cord blood from 572 children, aged 3-5, with differing prenatal exposure to cigarette smoke

SUBMITTER: Ladd-Acosta C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4915563 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature