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LINE‐1 DNA methylation in Colombian school children is associated with birth weight and maternal BMI, and predicts physical growth
Author(s) -
Villamor Eduardo,
Rozek Laura S,
VanZomerenDohm Adrienne A,
Dolinoy Dana,
Marin Constanza,
MoraPlazas Mercedes,
Baylin Ana
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.107.6
Subject(s) - dna methylation , epigenetics , methylation , cpg site , birth weight , biology , body mass index , demography , genetics , medicine , endocrinology , pregnancy , gene , gene expression , sociology
Early developmental exposures involve epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation, that influence subsequent health outcomes. We quantified CpG methylation (%5‐methylated cytosines, 5mC) of long interspersed nucleotide elements (LINE)‐1, an indicator of global DNA methylation, in blood DNA samples from 97 participants of an ongoing schoolchildren cohort in Bogota, Colombia, and examined its associations with sociodemographic factors and child growth. Mean age was 9.6 y; 49% were boys. Mean %5mC was 80.3% (range=71.0, 88.3). %5mC was 1.7% higher in boys than girls (P=0.01); it was inversely associated with birth weight (−0.1% per 100 g, P=0.01) and with current maternal BMI <18.5 kg/m 2 (−2.2% vs. normal BMI, P=0.003). In longitudinal analyses over a median 2.5 y follow‐up, LINE‐1 methylation inversely predicted height and BMI growth velocities in boys (−0.1 cm/y, P=0.05; and −0.03 kg/m 2 /y, P=0.02, per 1 %5mC, respectively), but not in girls. These results highlight the importance of sex‐specific analyses when evaluating epigenetic effects. Future studies should consider analyses of gene‐specific methylation profiles to better understand the functional consequences of global hypomethylation on child health.