The emerging landscape of dynamic DNA methylation in early childhood.

ABSTRACT:

Background

DNA methylation has been found to associate with disease, aging and environmental exposure, but it is unknown how genome, environment and disease influence DNA methylation dynamics in childhood.

Results

By analysing 538 paired DNA blood samples from children at birth and at 4-5 years old and 726 paired samples from children at 4 and 8 years old from four European birth cohorts using the Illumina Infinium Human Methylation 450 k chip, we have identified 14,150 consistent age-differential methylation sites (a-DMSs) at epigenome-wide significance of p < 1.14 × 10^-7. Genes with an increase in age-differential methylation were enriched in pathways related to 'development', and were more often located in bivalent transcription start site (TSS) regions, which

SUBMITTER: Xu CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5217260 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature