Abstract
Background
Chronic lung disease (CLD) is the most common pulmonary morbidity in extremely preterm infants. It is unclear to what extent prenatal exposures influence the risk of CLD. Epigenetic variation in placenta DNA methylation may be associated with differential risk of CLD, and these associations may be dependent upon sex.
Methods
Data were obtained from a multi-center cohort of infants born extremely preterm (<28 weeks’ gestation) and an epigenome-wide approach was used to identify associations between placental DNA methylation and CLD (n = 423). Associations were evaluated using robust linear regression adjusting for covariates, with a false discovery rate of 0.05. Analyses stratified by sex were used to assess differences in methylation-CLD associations.
Results
CLD was associated with differential methylation at 49 CpG sites representing 46 genes in the placenta. CLD was associated with differential methylation of probes within genes related to pathways involved in fetal lung development, such as p53 signaling and myo-inositol biosynthesis. Associations between CpG methylation and CLD differed by sex.
Conclusions
Differential placental methylation within genes with key roles in fetal lung development may reflect complex cell signaling between the placenta and fetus which mediate CLD risk. These pathways appear to be distinct based on fetal sex.
Impact
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In extremely preterm infants, differential methylation of CpG sites within placental genes involved in pathways related to cell signaling, oxidative stress, and trophoblast invasion is associated with chronic lung disease of prematurity.
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DNA methylation patterns associated with chronic lung disease were distinctly based on fetal sex, suggesting a potential mechanism underlying dimorphic phenotypes.
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Mechanisms related to fetal hypoxia and placental myo-inositol signaling may play a role in fetal lung programming and the developmental origins of chronic lung disease.
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Continued research of the relationship between the placental epigenome and chronic lung disease could inform efforts to ameliorate or prevent this condition.
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Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the ELGAN study participants for their time, effort, and generous provision of biosamples. As well, we acknowledge the clinical staff for the collection of placentas. This research was made possible through funding from the NIH including R01HD092374, UH3OD023348, and UG3OD023348.
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Mothers provided informed consent for the ELGAN Study following admission to the hospital, before birth, or immediately following birth. Enrollment and consent procedures were approved by the institutional review boards at all participating sites.
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Jackson, W.M., Santos, H.P., Hartwell, H.J. et al. Differential placental CpG methylation is associated with chronic lung disease of prematurity. Pediatr Res 91, 1428–1435 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-021-01868-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-021-01868-x
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