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2 March 2020

Epigenome-wide meta-analysis of blood DNA methylation in newborns and children identifies numerous loci related to gestational age

A new study co-led by researchers from the Epigenetics Group at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) provides a comprehensive catalogue of DNA methylation markers of gestational age at birth, a characteristic that is associated with the onset of diseases in later life. This work, carried out in collaboration with the Pregnancy And Childhood Epigenetics (PACE) consortium and published in the journal Genome Medicine on 2 March 2020, expands the knowledge of epigenetic markers of early-life factors related to cancer risk.

On the basis of almost 7000 cord blood samples from 20 cohorts worldwide, about 9000 methylation sites were found to be associated with gestational age at birth. For most of those sites, the methylation levels changed with age during early childhood and stabilized after school age (7 years). The researchers found a clear overlap of methylation markers in cord blood, fetal brain tissue, and fetal lung tissue in relation to gestational age at birth, highlighting the consistency of these findings across tissues relevant for the health impacts of gestational age at birth.

Merid SK, Novoloaca A, Sharp GC, Küpers LK, Kho AT, Roy R, et al.
Epigenome-wide meta-analysis of blood DNA methylation in newborns and children identifies numerous loci related to gestational age
Genome Medicine, Published online 2 March 2020;
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13073-020-0716-9

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Published in section: IARC News

Publication date: 2 March, 2020, 0:14

Direct link: https://www.iarc.who.int/news-events/epigenome-wide-meta-analysis-of-blood-dna-methylation-in-newborns-and-children-identifies-numerous-loci-related-to-gestational-age/

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