Title: Association between birth weight and DNA methylation of IGF2, glucocorticoid receptor and repetitive elements LINE-1 and Alu.

Authors: Burris, Heather H; Braun, Joe M; Byun, Hyang-Min; Tarantini, Letizia; Mercado, Adriana; Wright, Rosalind J; Schnaas, Lourdes; Baccarelli, Andrea A; Wright, Robert O; Tellez-Rojo, Martha M

Published In Epigenomics, (2013 Jun)

Abstract: AIM: We examined the association between birth weight and methylation in the imprinted IGF/H19 loci, the nonimprinted gene NR3C1 and repetitive element DNA (LINE-1 and Alu). MATERIALS & METHODS: We collected umbilical cord venous blood from 219 infants born in Mexico City (Mexico) as part of a prospective birth cohort study and analyzed DNA methylation using pyrosequencing. RESULTS: Birth weight was not associated with DNA methylation of the regions studied. One of the CpG dinucleotides in the IGF2 imprinting control region (ICR)1 includes a potential C-T SNP. Among individuals with an absence of methylation at this site, probably due to a paternally inherited T allele, birth weight was associated with mean methylation status of both IGF2 ICR1 and ICR2. However, this association would not have survived adjustment for multiple testing. CONCLUSION: While we did not detect an association between DNA methylation and birth weight, our study suggests a potential gene-epigene interaction between a T allele in the IGF2 ICR1 and methylation of ICRs of IGF2, and fetal growth.

PubMed ID: 23750643

MeSH Terms: Adult; Alu Elements/genetics*; Birth Weight/genetics*; Cohort Studies; CpG Islands; DNA Methylation*; Female; Gestational Age; Humans; Infant, Newborn; Insulin-Like Growth Factor II/genetics*; Insulin-Like Growth Factor II/metabolism; Long Interspersed Nucleotide Elements/genetics*; Male; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Prospective Studies; Receptors, Glucocorticoid/genetics*; Sequence Analysis, DNA