Grant Number:
Principal Investigator:
Tindula, Gwen
Institution:
University of California, Berkeley
Most Recent Award Year:
2017
Lifestage of Participants:
Exposure:
Prenatal (specifically at 13 and 26 weeks gestation); Adulthood (mother); Adulthood (father)
Assessment:
Adulthood (mother); Infant (0-1 year)
Exposures:
Personal Care/Consumer Products:
Phthalates
Health Outcomes:
Birth Outcomes:
Birthweight; Gestational age
Metabolic Outcomes:
Obesity/body weight
Biological Sample:
Cord blood; Urine (mother)
Other Participant Data:
Tracking newborn sex, maternal gestational weight gain, maternal and paternal BMI, ancestry, and cord blood cell composition
Epigenetic Mechanisms Studied:
DNA methylation of imprinted genes in cord blood samples
Abstract:
The alteration of gene expression mediated by epigenetic modifications, specifically DNA methylation, has been proposed as a mechanism by which chemical and biological factors during gestation and childhood may influence health and adult disease onset. Epigenetics of imprinted genes, which exhibit expression of one parental allele, represent a promising area of fetal programming research, as many imprinted genes are involved in early growth and development. The aim of the proposed study is to characterize the relationship of prenatal exposure to common endocrine disruptors, phthalates, with DNA methylation of imprinted genes in newborns. The analysis will include DNA samples from the well-characterized CHAMACOS birth cohort study of hundreds of Mexican-American children and their mothers followed from early pregnancy through adolescence. In order to discern relationships between epigenetic profiles of newborns and early life exposure parameters, DNA methylation of imprinted genes in newborns will be assessed using targeted pyrosequencing, followed by validation of the hits by next generation sequencing. DNA methylation of imprinted genes will also be interrogated for associations with biological factors (sex, gestational age, and birth weight), phthalate exposure during pregnancy, and parental obesity. The CHAMACOS study provides a unique opportunity to assess biological and environmental interactions with imprinted gene epigenetics in a cohort with substantial environmental stressors and a high prevalence of parental pre-pregnancy obesity. The research outlined in this proposal will contribute to the limited knowledge regarding the effects of in utero phthalate exposure on methylation of imprinted genes, which thus far includes limited data on only two imprinted genes.7,8 We will expand this analysis to include several additional imprinted genes with high biological significance for fetal development. We will also validate findings of the association between methylation marks and parental obesity from another birth cohort (NEST).9,10 Data generated by the state-of-the art epigenetic and bioinformatic methodologies will provide insights into imprinted gene epigenetics and may identify potential new targets for intervention in pregnant women.
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Related NIEHS-Funded Study Populations
Newborn Epigenetics Study Cohort (NEST)
Principal Investigator:
Hoyo, Cathrine; Murphy, Susan
| Study Population Page Study Population c178
Institution:
Duke University
Location:
Durham, North Carolina
Number of Participants::
2,500 Mother-Infant Pairs
Brief Description::
This is a birth cohort study investigating how early life environmental exposures and nutrition affect DNA methylation profiles in newborns. Infants were followed throughout early childhood to determine if methylation profiles established in utero are associated with childhood obesity and neurobehavioral outcomes. Since 2004, NEST has enrolled more than 2,500 women in central North Carolina.
Center for the Health Assessment of Mothers and Children of Salinas (CHAMACOS)
Principal Investigator:
Eskenazi, Brenda
| Study Population Page Study Population c27
Institution:
University of California, Berkeley
Location:
Salinas, California
Number of Participants::
~600 Mother-infant pairs
Brief Description::
This is a pregnancy study examining the effects, including the cumulative effects, of chemicals and other factors in the environment on children’s health among pregnant women and children living in the Salinas Valley, California. This study has enrolled approximately 600 participants since 1999.