engleski

The association between cord blood DNA methylation of serotonin-regulating genes and body fat-related characteristics in newborns

The signaling monoamine serotonin regulates many aspects of energy homeostasis including lipid metabolism. In the present study we investigated a possible association between cord blood DNA methylation in regulatory regions of serotonin- related genes (SERT, MAOA, HTR2A) and neonatal parameters related to lipid metabolism (ponderal index, fat mass estimate, serum triglyceride levels). The study included 100 full-term newborns (35 female, 65 male), all delivered by planned Cesarean section. Neonatal fat mass was estimated from neonatal length, weight, and abdominal skinfold thickness, using a standard formula. In venous cord blood, serum triglyceride levels were measured with Alinity (Abbott) enzyme-based assay and DNA methylation in circulating cells was quantified by bisulfite pyrosequencing. Partial correlation determined the relationship between methylation and metabolic parameters, whilst controlling for newborn’s sex and gestational age. SERT methylation was negatively correlated with ponderal index (r=-0.21, p=0.040) and fat mass (r=-0.22, p=0.033), and positively correlated with triglyceride level (r=0.38, p<0.0001). HTR2A and MAOA methylation did not correlate with any of the metabolic parameters analysed. These results support a role of SERT gene, encoding the serotonin transporter, in contributing to regulation of energy homeostasis during human fetal development and suggest its epigenetic modifications as a potential biomarker of later- life disorders associated with neonatal metabolic parameters.

cord blood ; DNA methylation ; serotonin-regulating genes ; body fat

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