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Title: Lead Exposure during Early Human Development and DNA Methylation of Imprinted Gene Regulatory Elements in Adulthood

Journal Article · · Environmental Health Perspectives
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1408577· OSTI ID:1395575
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [3];  [4];  [1];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [3];  [8]
  1. Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States)
  2. Univ. of Cincinnati, OH (United States)
  3. North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States)
  4. Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC (United States)
  5. Univ. of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH (United States), College of Medicine
  6. Univ. of Cincinnati, OH (United States). College of Medicine
  7. Univ. of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH (United States). College of Medicine
  8. North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC (United States); Duke Univ., Durham, NC (United States)

Here, lead exposure during early development causes neurodevelopmental disorders by unknown mechanisms. Epidemiologic studies have focused recently on determining associations between lead exposure and global DNA methylation; however, such approaches preclude the identification of loci that may alter human disease risk. The objective of this study was to determine whether maternal, postnatal, and early childhood lead exposure can alter the differentially methylated regions (DMRs) that control the monoallelic expression of imprinted genes involved in metabolism, growth, and development. Questionnaire data and serial blood lead levels were obtained from 105 participants (64 females, 41 males) of the Cincinnati Lead Study from birth to 78 months. When participants were adults, we used Sequenom EpiTYPER assays to test peripheral blood DNA to quantify CpG methylation in peripheral blood leukocytes at DMRs of 22 human imprinted genes. Statistical analyses were conducted using linear regression. Mean blood lead concentration from birth to 78 months was associated with a significant decrease in PEG3 DMR methylation (β = –0.0014; 95% CI: –0.0023, –0.0005, p = 0.002), stronger in males (β = –0.0024; 95% CI: –0.0038, –0.0009, p = 0.003) than in females (β = –0.0009; 95% CI: –0.0020, 0.0003, p = 0.1). Elevated mean childhood blood lead concentration was also associated with a significant decrease in IGF2/H19 (β = –0.0013; 95% CI: –0.0023, –0.0003, p = 0.01) DMR methylation, but primarily in females, (β = –0.0017; 95% CI: –0.0029, –0.0006, p = 0.005) rather than in males, (β = –0.0004; 95% CI: –0.0023, 0.0015, p = 0.7). Elevated blood lead concentration during the neonatal period was associated with higher PLAGL1/HYMAI DMR methylation regardless of sex (β = 0.0075; 95% CI: 0.0018, 0.0132, p = 0.01). The magnitude of associations between cumulative lead exposure and CpG methylation remained unaltered from 30 to 78 months. Our findings provide evidence that early childhood lead exposure results in sexdependent and gene-specific DNA methylation differences in the DMRs of PEG3, IGF2/H19, and PLAGL1/HYMAI in adulthood.

Research Organization:
North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
FG02-10ER64931; SC0003778
OSTI ID:
1395575
Journal Information:
Environmental Health Perspectives, Vol. 124, Issue 5; ISSN 0091-6765
Publisher:
National Institute of Environmental Health SciencesCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 39 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (22)

Lead exposure and child maltreatment as models for how to conceptualize early-in-life risk factors for violence journal January 2019
Sex-Dependent Effects of Developmental Lead Exposure on the Brain journal March 2018
The Genetic Basis for Variation in Sensitivity to Lead Toxicity in Drosophila melanogaster journal July 2016
Low-level Gestational Lead Exposure Alters Dendritic Spine Plasticity in the Hippocampus and Reduces Learning and Memory in Rats journal February 2018
Genetics of the human placenta: implications for toxicokinetics journal September 2016
Sleep duration and fragmentation in relation to leukocyte DNA methylation in adolescents journal June 2019
Adolescent epigenetic profiles and environmental exposures from early life through peri-adolescence journal August 2016
DNA methylation of imprinted genes in Mexican–American newborn children with prenatal phthalate exposure journal July 2018
An epigenome‐wide DNA methylation study of workers with an occupational exposure to lead journal May 2019
Cadmium exposure and MEG3 methylation differences between Whites and African Americans in the NEST Cohort journal July 2019
Ecogenetics of lead toxicity and its influence on risk assessment journal May 2019
Epigenetics, obesity and early-life cadmium or lead exposure journal January 2017
Large epigenome-wide association study of childhood ADHD identifies peripheral DNA methylation associated with disease and polygenic risk burden journal January 2020
DNA methylation of imprinted gene control regions in the regression of low-grade cervical lesions: Regression of low-grade cervical lesions journal March 2018
Sexually Dimorphic Effects of Early-Life Exposures to Endocrine Disruptors: Sex-Specific Epigenetic Reprogramming as a Potential Mechanism journal October 2017
Association of blood leukocyte DNA methylation at LINE-1 and growth-related candidate genes with pubertal onset and progression journal December 2018
Perinatal Bisphenol A Exposure and Reprogramming of Imprinted Gene Expression in the Adult Mouse Brain journal October 2019
Different People, Different Outcomes: Assessing Genetic Susceptibility to Lead Exposures journal July 2016
Association of Blood Leukocyte DNA Methylation at LINE-1 and Growth-Related Candidate Genes with Pubertal Onset and Progression text January 2018
Association of blood leukocyte DNA methylation at LINE-1 and growth-related candidate genes with pubertal onset and progression text January 2018
Effects of Cadmium Exposure on DNA Methylation at Imprinting Control Regions and Genome-Wide in Mothers and Newborn Children journal March 2018
Association of blood leukocyte DNA methylation at LINE-1 and growth-related candidate genes with pubertal onset and progression text January 2018

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