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Croons H, Martens DS, Vanderstukken C, Sleurs H, Rasking L, Peusens M, Renaers E, Plusquin M, Nawrot TS. Telomere length in early childhood and its association with attention: a study in 4-6 year old children. Front Pediatr 2024; 12:1358272. [PMID: 38919841 PMCID: PMC11196792 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2024.1358272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Telomere length (TL), a marker of cellular aging, has been studied in adults with regard to its connection to cognitive function. However, little is known about the association between TL and cognitive development in children. This study investigated the interplay between TL and cognitive functioning in 283 Belgian children aged four to six years of the Environmental Influence on Aging in Early Life (ENVIRONAGE) birth cohort. Child leukocyte TL was measured using qPCR, while cognitive functioning, including attention and memory, was assessed using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Linear regression models were employed to examine the association between TL and cognitive outcomes, adjusting for potential confounders. We found an inverse association between TL and the spatial errors made during the Motor Screening task (p = 0.017), indicating a higher motor accuracy in children with longer telomeres. No significant associations were found between TL and other cognitive outcomes. Our results suggest a specific link between TL and motor accuracy but not with the other cognitive domains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanne Croons
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Dries S. Martens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | | | - Hanne Sleurs
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Leen Rasking
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Martien Peusens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Eleni Renaers
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Tim S. Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Department of Public Health, Leuven University (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
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2
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Aguilar-Lacasaña S, Fontes Marques I, de Castro M, Dadvand P, Escribà X, Fossati S, González JR, Nieuwenhuijsen M, Alfano R, Annesi-Maesano I, Brescianini S, Burrows K, Calas L, Elhakeem A, Heude B, Hough A, Isaevska E, W V Jaddoe V, Lawlor DA, Monaghan G, Nawrot T, Plusquin M, Richiardi L, Watmuff A, Yang TC, Vrijheid M, F Felix J, Bustamante M. Green space exposure and blood DNA methylation at birth and in childhood - A multi-cohort study. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2024; 188:108684. [PMID: 38776651 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2024.108684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Green space exposure has been associated with improved mental, physical and general health. However, the underlying biological mechanisms remain largely unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between green space exposure and cord and child blood DNA methylation. Data from eight European birth cohorts with a total of 2,988 newborns and 1,849 children were used. Two indicators of residential green space exposure were assessed: (i) surrounding greenness (satellite-based Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) in buffers of 100 m and 300 m) and (ii) proximity to green space (having a green space ≥ 5,000 m2 within a distance of 300 m). For these indicators we assessed two exposure windows: (i) pregnancy, and (ii) the period from pregnancy to child blood DNA methylation assessment, named as cumulative exposure. DNA methylation was measured with the Illumina 450K or EPIC arrays. To identify differentially methylated positions (DMPs) we fitted robust linear regression models between pregnancy green space exposure and cord blood DNA methylation and between cumulative green space exposure and child blood DNA methylation. Two sensitivity analyses were conducted: (i) without adjusting for cellular composition, and (ii) adjusting for air pollution. Cohort results were combined through fixed-effect inverse variance weighted meta-analyses. Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were identified from meta-analysed results using the Enmix-combp and DMRcate methods. There was no statistical evidence of pregnancy or cumulative exposures associating with any DMP (False Discovery Rate, FDR, p-value < 0.05). However, surrounding greenness exposure was inversely associated with four DMRs (three in cord blood and one in child blood) annotated to ADAMTS2, KCNQ1DN, SLC6A12 and SDK1 genes. Results did not change substantially in the sensitivity analyses. Overall, we found little evidence of the association between green space exposure and blood DNA methylation. Although we identified associations between surrounding greenness exposure with four DMRs, these findings require replication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofia Aguilar-Lacasaña
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Spain; Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Irene Fontes Marques
- Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Montserrat de Castro
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Spain
| | - Payam Dadvand
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Spain
| | - Xavier Escribà
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Spain
| | - Serena Fossati
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Spain
| | - Juan R González
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Spain
| | - Mark Nieuwenhuijsen
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Spain
| | - Rossella Alfano
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Isabella Annesi-Maesano
- Desbrest Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health (IDESP), Montpellier University and Inserm, Montpellier, Service des Maladies Allergiques et Respiratoires, CHU, Montpellier, France
| | - Sonia Brescianini
- Centre for Behavioural Science and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Kimberley Burrows
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Lucinda Calas
- Université Paris Cité and Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Inserm, INRAE, Center for Research in Epidemiology and StatisticS (CRESS), F-75004 Paris, France
| | - Ahmed Elhakeem
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Barbara Heude
- Université Paris Cité and Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Inserm, INRAE, Center for Research in Epidemiology and StatisticS (CRESS), F-75004 Paris, France
| | - Amy Hough
- Born in Bradford, Wolfson Centre for Applied Health Research, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, UK
| | - Elena Isaevska
- Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, CPO-Piemonte, Turin, Italy
| | - Vincent W V Jaddoe
- Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Deborah A Lawlor
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; Medical Research Council Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Genevieve Monaghan
- Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Tim Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium; Department of Public Health, Leuven University (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Lorenzo Richiardi
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, CPO-Piemonte, Turin, Italy
| | - Aidan Watmuff
- Born in Bradford, Wolfson Centre for Applied Health Research, Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, UK
| | - Tiffany C Yang
- Bradford Institute for Health Research, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | - Martine Vrijheid
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Spain
| | - Janine F Felix
- Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Pediatrics, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Mariona Bustamante
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Spain
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3
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Schmidt S. Inside Information: Black Carbon Exposure and the Early-Childhood Gut Microbiome. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2023; 131:44001. [PMID: 37058434 PMCID: PMC10104168 DOI: 10.1289/ehp12829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
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Van Pee T, Hogervorst J, Dockx Y, Witters K, Thijs S, Wang C, Bongaerts E, Van Hamme JD, Vangronsveld J, Ameloot M, Raes J, Nawrot TS. Accumulation of Black Carbon Particles in Placenta, Cord Blood, and Childhood Urine in Association with the Intestinal Microbiome Diversity and Composition in Four- to Six-Year-Old Children in the ENVIR ONAGE Birth Cohort. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2023; 131:17010. [PMID: 36719212 PMCID: PMC9888258 DOI: 10.1289/ehp11257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The gut microbiome plays an essential role in human health. Despite the link between air pollution exposure and various diseases, its association with the gut microbiome during susceptible life periods remains scarce. OBJECTIVES In this study, we examined the association between black carbon particles quantified in prenatal and postnatal biological matrices and bacterial richness and diversity measures, and bacterial families. METHODS A total of 85 stool samples were collected from 4- to 6-y-old children enrolled in the ENVIRonmental influence ON early AGEing birth cohort. We performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing to calculate bacterial richness and diversity indices (Chao1 richness, Shannon diversity, and Simpson diversity) and the relative abundance of bacterial families. Black carbon particles were quantified via white light generation under femtosecond pulsed laser illumination in placental tissue and cord blood, employed as prenatal exposure biomarkers, and in urine, used as a post-natal exposure biomarker. We used robust multivariable-adjusted linear models to examine the associations between quantified black carbon loads and measures of richness (Chao1 index) and diversity (Shannon and Simpson indices), adjusting for parity, season of delivery, sequencing batch, age, sex, weight and height of the child, and maternal education. Additionally, we performed a differential relative abundance analysis of bacterial families with a correction for sampling fraction bias. Results are expressed as percentage difference for a doubling in black carbon loads with 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS Two diversity indices were negatively associated with placental black carbon [Shannon: -4.38% (95% CI: -8.31%, -0.28%); Simpson: -0.90% (95% CI: -1.76%, -0.04%)], cord blood black carbon [Shannon: -3.38% (95% CI: -5.66%, -0.84%); Simpson: -0.91 (95% CI: -1.66%, -0.16%)], and urinary black carbon [Shannon: -3.39% (95% CI: -5.77%, -0.94%); Simpson: -0.89% (95% CI: -1.37%, -0.40%)]. The explained variance of black carbon on the above indices varied from 6.1% to 16.6%. No statistically significant associations were found between black carbon load and the Chao1 richness index. After multiple testing correction, placental black carbon was negatively associated with relative abundance of the bacterial families Defluviitaleaceae and Marinifilaceae, and urinary black carbon with Christensenellaceae and Coriobacteriaceae; associations with cord blood black carbon were not statistically significant after correction. CONCLUSION Black carbon particles quantified in prenatal and postnatal biological matrices were associated with the composition and diversity of the childhood intestinal microbiome. These findings address the influential role of exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and early life in human health. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP11257.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thessa Van Pee
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Janneke Hogervorst
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Yinthe Dockx
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Katrien Witters
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Sofie Thijs
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Congrong Wang
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Eva Bongaerts
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Jonathan D Van Hamme
- Department of Biological Sciences, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jaco Vangronsveld
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
- Department of Plant Physiology and Biophysics, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Lublin, Poland
| | - Marcel Ameloot
- Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Jeroen Raes
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Rega Instituut, KU Leuven-University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Center for Microbiology, VIB, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium
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5
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Wang C, Alfano R, Reimann B, Hogervorst J, Bustamante M, De Vivo I, Plusquin M, Nawrot TS, Martens DS. Genetic regulation of newborn telomere length is mediated and modified by DNA methylation. Front Genet 2022; 13:934277. [PMID: 36267401 PMCID: PMC9576874 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2022.934277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Telomere length at birth determines later life telomere length and potentially predicts ageing-related diseases. However, the genetic and epigenetic settings of telomere length in newborns have not been analyzed. In addition, no study yet has reported how the interplay between genetic variants and genome-wide cytosine methylation explains the variation in early-life telomere length. In this study based on 281 mother-newborn pairs from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort, telomere length and whole-genome DNA methylation were assessed in cord blood and 26 candidate single nucleotide polymorphism related to ageing or telomere length were genotyped. We identified three genetic variants associated with cord blood telomere length and 57 cis methylation quantitative trait loci (cis-mQTLs) of which 22 mQTLs confirmed previous findings and 35 were newly identified. Five SNPs were found to have significant indirect effects on cord blood telomere length via the mediating CpGs. The association between rs911874 (SOD2) and newborn telomere length was modified by nearby DNA methylation indicated by a significant statistical interaction. Our results suggest that DNA methylation in cis might have a mediation or modification effect on the genetic difference in newborn telomere length. This novel approach warrants future follow-up studies that are needed to further confirm and extend these findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Congrong Wang
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Rossella Alfano
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Brigitte Reimann
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | | | - Mariona Bustamante
- ISGlobal, Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, Spain
- Center for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Immaculata De Vivo
- Channing Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
- Program in Genetic Epidemiology and Statistical Genetics, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Tim S. Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Dries S. Martens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- *Correspondence: Dries S. Martens,
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6
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Reimann B, Martens DS, Wang C, Ghantous A, Herceg Z, Plusquin M, Nawrot TS. Interrelationships and determinants of aging biomarkers in cord blood. J Transl Med 2022; 20:353. [PMID: 35945616 PMCID: PMC9361565 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-022-03541-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Increasing evidence supports the concept of prenatal programming as an early factor in the aging process. DNA methylation age (DNAm age), global genome-wide DNA methylation (global methylation), telomere length (TL), and mitochondrial DNA content (mtDNA content) have independently been shown to be markers of aging, but their interrelationship and determinants at birth remain uncertain. METHODS We assessed the inter-correlation between the aging biomarkers DNAm age, global methylation, TL and mtDNA content using Pearson's correlation in 190 cord blood samples of the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort. TL and mtDNA content was measured via qPCR, while the DNA methylome was determined using the human 450K methylation Illumina microarray. Subsequently, DNAm age was calculated according to Horvath's epigenetic clock, and mean global, promoter, gene-body, and intergenic DNA methylation were determined. Path analysis, a form of structural equation modeling, was performed to disentangle the complex causal relationships among the aging biomarkers and their potential determinants. RESULTS DNAm age was inversely correlated with global methylation (r = -0.64, p < 0.001) and mtDNA content (r = - 0.16, p = 0.027). Cord blood TL was correlated with mtDNA content (r = 0.26, p < 0.001) but not with global methylation or DNAm age. Path analysis showed the strongest effect for global methylation on DNAm age with a decrease of 0.64 standard deviations (SD) in DNAm age for each SD (0.01%) increase in global methylation (p < 0.001). Among the applied covariates, newborn sex and season of delivery were the strongest determinants of aging biomarkers. CONCLUSIONS We provide insight into molecular aging signatures at the start of life, including their interrelations and determinants, showing that cord blood DNAm age is inversely associated with global methylation and mtDNA content but not with newborn telomere length. Our findings demonstrate that cord blood TL and DNAm age relate to different pathways/mechanisms of biological aging and can be influenced by environmental factors already at the start of life. These findings are relevant for understanding fetal programming and for the early prevention of noncommunicable diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brigitte Reimann
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Dries S Martens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Congrong Wang
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Akram Ghantous
- Epigenomics and Mechanisms Branch, International Agency for Research On Cancer (IARC), Lyon, France
| | - Zdenko Herceg
- Epigenomics and Mechanisms Branch, International Agency for Research On Cancer (IARC), Lyon, France
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- School of Public Health, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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7
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Alfano R, Plusquin M, Robinson O, Brescianini S, Chatzi L, Keski-Rahkonen P, Handakas E, Maitre L, Nawrot T, Robinot N, Roumeliotaki T, Sassi F, Scalbert A, Vrijheid M, Vineis P, Richiardi L, Zugna D. Cord blood metabolites and rapid postnatal growth as multiple mediators in the prenatal propensity to childhood overweight. Int J Obes (Lond) 2022; 46:1384-1393. [PMID: 35508813 PMCID: PMC9239910 DOI: 10.1038/s41366-022-01108-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The mechanisms underlying childhood overweight and obesity are poorly known. Here, we investigated the direct and indirect effects of different prenatal exposures on offspring rapid postnatal growth and overweight in childhood, mediated through cord blood metabolites. Additionally, rapid postnatal growth was considered a potential mediator on childhood overweight, alone and sequentially to each metabolite. METHODS Within four European birth-cohorts (N = 375 mother-child dyads), information on seven prenatal exposures (maternal education, pre-pregnancy BMI, weight gain and tobacco smoke during pregnancy, age at delivery, parity, and child gestational age), selected as obesogenic according to a-priori knowledge, was collected. Cord blood levels of 31 metabolites, associated with rapid postnatal growth and/or childhood overweight in a previous study, were measured via liquid-chromatography-quadrupole-time-of-flight-mass-spectrometry. Rapid growth at 12 months and childhood overweight (including obesity) between four and eight years were defined with reference to WHO growth charts. Single mediation analysis was performed using the imputation approach and multiple mediation analysis using the extended-imputation approach. RESULTS Single mediation suggested that the effect of maternal education, pregnancy weight gain, parity, and gestational age on rapid postnatal growth but not on childhood overweight was partly mediated by seven metabolites, including cholestenone, decenoylcarnitine(C10:1), phosphatidylcholine(C34:3), progesterone and three unidentified metabolites; and the effect of gestational age on childhood overweight was mainly mediated by rapid postnatal growth. Multiple mediation suggested that the effect of gestational age on childhood overweight was mainly mediated by rapid postnatal growth and that the mediating role of the metabolites was marginal. CONCLUSION Our findings provide evidence of the involvement of in utero metabolism in the propensity to rapid postnatal growth and of rapid postnatal growth in the propensity to childhood overweight. We did not find evidence supporting a mediating role of the studied metabolites alone between the studied prenatal exposures and the propensity to childhood overweight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Alfano
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
- Μedical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Oliver Robinson
- Μedical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Sonia Brescianini
- Centre for Behavioural Science and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Lida Chatzi
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Pekka Keski-Rahkonen
- Nutrition and Metabolism Branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | - Evangelos Handakas
- Μedical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Lea Maitre
- Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tim Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Nivonirina Robinot
- Nutrition and Metabolism Branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | - Theano Roumeliotaki
- Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Franco Sassi
- Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation, Department of Economics & Public Policy, Imperial College Business School, South Kensington Campus, London, UK
| | - Augustin Scalbert
- Nutrition and Metabolism Branch, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | - Martine Vrijheid
- Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Paolo Vineis
- Μedical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Lorenzo Richiardi
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin and CPO-Piemonte, Torino, Italy
| | - Daniela Zugna
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin and CPO-Piemonte, Torino, Italy
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8
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Koeck RM, Busato F, Tost J, Consten D, van Echten-Arends J, Mastenbroek S, Wurth Y, Remy S, Langie S, Nawrot TS, Plusquin M, Alfano R, Bijnens EM, Gielen M, van Golde R, Dumoulin JCM, Brunner H, van Montfoort APA, Zamani Esteki M. Methylome-wide analysis of IVF neonates that underwent embryo culture in different media revealed no significant differences. NPJ Genom Med 2022; 7:39. [PMID: 35768464 PMCID: PMC9243125 DOI: 10.1038/s41525-022-00310-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
A growing number of children born are conceived through in vitro fertilisation (IVF), which has been linked to an increased risk of adverse perinatal outcomes, as well as altered growth profiles and cardiometabolic differences in the resultant individuals. Some of these outcomes have also been shown to be influenced by the use of different IVF culture media and this effect is hypothesised to be mediated epigenetically, e.g. through the methylome. As such, we profiled the umbilical cord blood methylome of IVF neonates that underwent preimplantation embryo development in two different IVF culture media (G5 or HTF), using the Infinium Human Methylation EPIC BeadChip. We found no significant methylation differences between the two groups in terms of: (i) systematic differences at CpG sites or regions, (ii) imprinted sites/genes or birth weight-associated sites, (iii) stochastic differences presenting as DNA methylation outliers or differentially variable sites, and (iv) epigenetic gestational age acceleration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebekka M Koeck
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, GROW School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Florence Busato
- Laboratory for Epigenetics & Environment, Centre National de Recherche en Genomique Humaine, CEA - institut de Biologie François Jacob, Université Paris Saclay, 91000, Evry, France
| | - Jorg Tost
- Laboratory for Epigenetics & Environment, Centre National de Recherche en Genomique Humaine, CEA - institut de Biologie François Jacob, Université Paris Saclay, 91000, Evry, France
| | - Dimitri Consten
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, St. Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital, Hilvarenbeekseweg 60, 5022, GC, Tilburg, the Netherlands
| | - Jannie van Echten-Arends
- Section of Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713, GZ, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Sebastiaan Mastenbroek
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Amsterdam Reproduction & Development Research Institute, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Meibergdreef 9, 1105, AZ, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Yvonne Wurth
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, St. Elisabeth-TweeSteden Hospital, Hilvarenbeekseweg 60, 5022, GC, Tilburg, the Netherlands
| | - Sylvie Remy
- Health Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium
| | - Sabine Langie
- Health Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium.,Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, School for Nutrition and Translational Research in Metabolism (NUTRIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leuven University (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Rossella Alfano
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Esmée M Bijnens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Department of Human Structure and Repair, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Marij Gielen
- Department of Epidemiology and Nutrition and Toxicology Research Institute Maastricht (NUTRIM), Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Ron van Golde
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, GROW School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - John C M Dumoulin
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, GROW School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Han Brunner
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.,Department of Human Genetics, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Aafke P A van Montfoort
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, GROW School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
| | - Masoud Zamani Esteki
- Department of Clinical Genetics, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, Maastricht, The Netherlands. .,Department of Genetics and Cell Biology, GROW School for Oncology and Reproduction, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
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9
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Van Der Stukken C, Nawrot TS, Alfano R, Wang C, Langie SAS, Plusquin M, Janssen BG, Martens DS. The telomere-mitochondrial axis of aging in newborns. Aging (Albany NY) 2022; 14:1627-1650. [PMID: 35169104 PMCID: PMC8908926 DOI: 10.18632/aging.203897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Aging starts at the beginning of life as evidenced by high variability in telomere length (TL) and mitochondrial DNA content (mtDNAc) at birth. Whether p53 and PGC-1α are connected to these age-related markers in early life is unclear. In this study, we hypothesized that these hallmarks of aging are associated at birth. In 613 newborns from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort, p53 and PGC-1α protein levels were measured in cord plasma, while TL and mtDNAc were measured in both cord blood and placental tissue. Cord blood methylation data of genes corresponding to the measured protein levels were available from the Human MethylationEPIC 850K BeadChip array. Pearson correlations and linear regression models were applied while accounting for selected covariates. In cord, a 10% increase in TL was associated with 5.22% (95% CI: 3.26 to 7.22; p < 0.0001) higher mtDNAc and −2.66% (95% CI: –5.04 to −0.23%; p = 0.032) lower p53 plasma level. In placenta, a 10% increase in TL was associated with 5.46% (95% CI: 3.82 to 7.13%; p < 0.0001) higher mtDNAc and −2.42% (95% CI: −4.29 to −0.52; p = 0.0098) lower p53 plasma level. Methylation level of TP53 was correlated with TL and mtDNAc in cord blood and with cord plasma p53 level. Our study suggests that p53 may be an important factor both at the protein and methylation level for the telomere-mitochondrial axis of aging at birth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.,Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rossella Alfano
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Congrong Wang
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Sabine A S Langie
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Bram G Janssen
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Dries S Martens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
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10
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Bongaerts E, Bové H, Lambrichts I, Saenen ND, Gyselaers W, Plusquin M, Roeffaers MBJ, Ameloot M, Nawrot TS. Reply to 'Fetal side' of the placenta: Anatomical mis-annotation of carbon particle 'transfer' across the human placenta. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7050. [PMID: 34862377 PMCID: PMC8642552 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26438-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Eva Bongaerts
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Hannelore Bové
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building C, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F-Box 2461, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Ivo Lambrichts
- Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building C, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Nelly D Saenen
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Wilfried Gyselaers
- Department of Obstetrics, East-Limburg Hospital, Schiepse Bos 6, 3600, Genk, Belgium
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Maarten B J Roeffaers
- Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F-Box 2461, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marcel Ameloot
- Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building C, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium. .,Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49-Box 706, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
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11
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Menouni A, Duca RC, Berni I, Khouchoua M, Ghosh M, El Ghazi B, Zouine N, Lhilali I, Akroute D, Pauwels S, Creta M, Poels K, Hoet P, Vanoirbeeck J, Kestemont MP, Janssen P, Attwood TS, Godderis L, El Jaafari S. The Parental Pesticide and Offspring's Epigenome Study: Towards an Integrated Use of Human Biomonitoring of Exposure and Effect Biomarkers. TOXICS 2021; 9:332. [PMID: 34941766 PMCID: PMC8703387 DOI: 10.3390/toxics9120332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2021] [Revised: 10/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In Morocco, due to the lack of education and the presence of a counterfeit market, pesticides constitute a major problem to be addressed by occupational and environmental health agencies. This paper aims to introduce the PaPOE (Parental Pesticides and Offspring Epigenome) prospective study and its goals, to motivate the study rationale and design, and to examine comprehensively whether multi-residue exposure to commonly used pesticides could induce epigenetic alterations through the oxidative stress pathway. The PaPOE project includes a cross-sectional study assessing the occupational exposure among 300 farmworkers in Meknes, and initiates a birth cohort of 1000 pregnant women. Data and biological samples are collected among farmworkers, and throughout pregnancy, and at birth. Oxidative stress biomarkers include Glutathione, Malondialdehyde, and 8-OHdG. Global and gene-specific DNA methylation is assessed. The study began enrollment in 2019 and is ongoing. As of 30 June 2021, 300 farmworkers and 125 pregnant women have enrolled. The results are expected to showcase the importance of biomonitoring for understanding individual risks, and to identify a number of regions where DNA methylation status is altered in the pesticides-exposed population, paving the way for an integrated biomonitoring system in Morocco and Africa to assess environmental exposures and their long-term health consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aziza Menouni
- Cluster of Competence Environment and Health, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes 50000, Morocco; (I.B.); (M.K.); (B.E.G.); (N.Z.); (I.L.); (D.A.); (S.E.J.)
- Health and Environment Unit, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (R.C.D.); (M.G.); (S.P.); (M.C.); (K.P.); (P.H.); (J.V.); (L.G.)
| | - Radu Corneliu Duca
- Health and Environment Unit, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (R.C.D.); (M.G.); (S.P.); (M.C.); (K.P.); (P.H.); (J.V.); (L.G.)
- Unit of Environmental Hygiene and Biological Monitoring, Department of Health Protection, Laboratoire National de Santé (LNS), L-3555 Dudelange, Luxembourg
| | - Imane Berni
- Cluster of Competence Environment and Health, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes 50000, Morocco; (I.B.); (M.K.); (B.E.G.); (N.Z.); (I.L.); (D.A.); (S.E.J.)
| | - Mohamed Khouchoua
- Cluster of Competence Environment and Health, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes 50000, Morocco; (I.B.); (M.K.); (B.E.G.); (N.Z.); (I.L.); (D.A.); (S.E.J.)
| | - Manosij Ghosh
- Health and Environment Unit, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (R.C.D.); (M.G.); (S.P.); (M.C.); (K.P.); (P.H.); (J.V.); (L.G.)
| | - Brahim El Ghazi
- Cluster of Competence Environment and Health, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes 50000, Morocco; (I.B.); (M.K.); (B.E.G.); (N.Z.); (I.L.); (D.A.); (S.E.J.)
| | - Noura Zouine
- Cluster of Competence Environment and Health, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes 50000, Morocco; (I.B.); (M.K.); (B.E.G.); (N.Z.); (I.L.); (D.A.); (S.E.J.)
| | - Ilham Lhilali
- Cluster of Competence Environment and Health, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes 50000, Morocco; (I.B.); (M.K.); (B.E.G.); (N.Z.); (I.L.); (D.A.); (S.E.J.)
| | - Dina Akroute
- Cluster of Competence Environment and Health, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes 50000, Morocco; (I.B.); (M.K.); (B.E.G.); (N.Z.); (I.L.); (D.A.); (S.E.J.)
| | - Sara Pauwels
- Health and Environment Unit, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (R.C.D.); (M.G.); (S.P.); (M.C.); (K.P.); (P.H.); (J.V.); (L.G.)
| | - Matteo Creta
- Health and Environment Unit, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (R.C.D.); (M.G.); (S.P.); (M.C.); (K.P.); (P.H.); (J.V.); (L.G.)
- Unit of Environmental Hygiene and Biological Monitoring, Department of Health Protection, Laboratoire National de Santé (LNS), L-3555 Dudelange, Luxembourg
| | - Katrien Poels
- Health and Environment Unit, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (R.C.D.); (M.G.); (S.P.); (M.C.); (K.P.); (P.H.); (J.V.); (L.G.)
| | - Peter Hoet
- Health and Environment Unit, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (R.C.D.); (M.G.); (S.P.); (M.C.); (K.P.); (P.H.); (J.V.); (L.G.)
| | - Jeroen Vanoirbeeck
- Health and Environment Unit, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (R.C.D.); (M.G.); (S.P.); (M.C.); (K.P.); (P.H.); (J.V.); (L.G.)
| | - Marie-Paule Kestemont
- Louvain School of Management, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium;
| | - Paul Janssen
- Center for Statistics, Hasselt University, 3590 Hasselt, Belgium;
| | - Tara Sabo Attwood
- Department of Environmental and Global Health, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA;
| | - Lode Godderis
- Health and Environment Unit, Faculty of Medicine, KU Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium; (R.C.D.); (M.G.); (S.P.); (M.C.); (K.P.); (P.H.); (J.V.); (L.G.)
- IDEWE, External Service for Prevention and Protection at Work, 3001 Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Samir El Jaafari
- Cluster of Competence Environment and Health, Moulay Ismail University, Meknes 50000, Morocco; (I.B.); (M.K.); (B.E.G.); (N.Z.); (I.L.); (D.A.); (S.E.J.)
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12
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Witters K, Dockx Y, Op't Roodt J, Lefebvre W, Vanpoucke C, Plusquin M, Vangronsveld J, Janssen BG, Nawrot TS. Dynamics of skin microvascular blood flow in 4-6-year-old children in association with pre- and postnatal black carbon and particulate air pollution exposure. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2021; 157:106799. [PMID: 34358916 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2021.106799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Revised: 07/06/2021] [Accepted: 07/26/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A growing body of evidence indicates that cardiovascular health in adulthood, particularly that of the microcirculation, could find its roots during prenatal development. In this study, we investigated the association between pre- and postnatal air pollution exposure on heat-induced skin hyperemia as a dynamic marker of the microvasculature. METHODS In 139 children between the ages of 4 and 6 who are followed longitudinally within the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort, we measured skin perfusion by Laser Doppler probes using the Periflux6000. Residential black carbon (BC), particulate (PM10 and PM2.5) air pollution, and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels were modelled for each participant's home address using a high-resolution spatiotemporal model for multiple time windows. We assessed the association between skin hyperemia and pre- and postnatal air pollution using multiple regression models while adjusting for relevant covariates. RESULTS Residential BC exposure during the whole pregnancy averaged (IQR) 1.42 (1.22-1.58) µg/m3, PM10 18.88 (16.64 - 21.13) µg/m3, PM2.5 13.67 (11.5 - 15.56) µg/m3 and NO2 18.39 (15.52 - 20.31) µg/m3. An IQR increment in BC exposure during the third trimester of pregnancy was associated with an 11.5 % (95% CI: -20.1 to -1.9; p = 0.020) lower skin hyperemia. Similar effect estimates were retrieved for PM10, PM2.5 and NO2 (respectively 13.9 % [95% CI: -21.9 to -3.0; p = 0.003], 17.0 % [95% CI: -26.7 to -6.1; p = 0.004] and 12.7% [95 % CI: -22.2 to -1.9; p = 0.023] lower skin hyperemia). In multipollutant models, PM2.5 showed the strongest inverse association with skin hyperemia. Postnatal exposure to BC, PM10, PM2.5 or NO2, was not associated with skin hyperemia at the age of 4 to 6, and did not alter the previous reported prenatal associations when taken into account. CONCLUSION Our findings support that BC, particulate air pollution, and NO2 exposure, even at low concentrations, during prenatal life, can have long-lasting consequences for the microvasculature. This proposes a role of prenatal air pollution exposures over and beyond postnatal exposure in the microvascular alterations which were persistent into childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katrien Witters
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, Diepenbeek 3590, Belgium
| | - Yinthe Dockx
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, Diepenbeek 3590, Belgium
| | - Jos Op't Roodt
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, Diepenbeek 3590, Belgium
| | - Wouter Lefebvre
- Health unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium
| | | | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, Diepenbeek 3590, Belgium
| | - Jaco Vangronsveld
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, Diepenbeek 3590, Belgium
| | - Bram G Janssen
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, Diepenbeek 3590, Belgium
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, Diepenbeek 3590, Belgium; Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leuven University, Herestraat 49-box706, Leuven 3000, Belgium.
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13
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Handakas E, Keski-Rahkonen P, Chatzi L, Alfano R, Roumeliotaki T, Plusquin M, Maitre L, Richiardi L, Brescianini S, Scalbert A, Robinot N, Nawrot T, Sassi F, Vrijheid M, Vineis P, Robinson O. Cord blood metabolic signatures predictive of childhood overweight and rapid growth. Int J Obes (Lond) 2021; 45:2252-2260. [PMID: 34253844 PMCID: PMC8455328 DOI: 10.1038/s41366-021-00888-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Revised: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Metabolomics may identify biological pathways predisposing children to the risk of overweight and obesity. In this study, we have investigated the cord blood metabolic signatures of rapid growth in infancy and overweight in early childhood in four European birth cohorts. METHODS Untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolomic profiles were measured in cord blood from 399 newborns from four European cohorts (ENVIRONAGE, Rhea, INMA and Piccolipiu). Rapid growth in the first year of life and overweight in childhood was defined with reference to WHO growth charts. Metabolome-wide association scans for rapid growth and overweight on over 4500 metabolic features were performed using multiple adjusted logistic mixed-effect models and controlling the false discovery rate (FDR) at 5%. In addition, we performed a look-up analysis of 43 pre-annotated metabolites, previously associated with birthweight or rapid growth. RESULTS In the Metabolome-Wide Association Study analysis, we identified three and eight metabolites associated with rapid growth and overweight, respectively, after FDR correction. Higher levels of cholestenone, a cholesterol derivative produced by microbial catabolism, were predictive of rapid growth (p = 1.6 × 10-3). Lower levels of the branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) valine (p = 8.6 × 10-6) were predictive of overweight in childhood. The area under the receiver operator curve for multivariate prediction models including these metabolites and traditional risk factors was 0.77 for rapid growth and 0.82 for overweight, compared with 0.69 and 0.69, respectively, for models using traditional risk factors alone. Among the 43 pre-annotated metabolites, seven and five metabolites were nominally associated (P < 0.05) with rapid growth and overweight, respectively. The BCAA leucine, remained associated (1.6 × 10-3) with overweight after FDR correction. CONCLUSION The metabolites identified here may assist in the identification of children at risk of developing obesity and improve understanding of mechanisms involved in postnatal growth. Cholestenone and BCAAs are suggestive of a role of the gut microbiome and nutrient signalling respectively in child growth trajectories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evangelos Handakas
- Μedical Research Council Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Pekka Keski-Rahkonen
- Nutrition and Metabolism Section, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | - Lida Chatzi
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Rossella Alfano
- Μedical Research Council Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Theano Roumeliotaki
- Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Léa Maitre
- Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Lorenzo Richiardi
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin and CPO-Piemonte, Torino, Italy
| | - Sonia Brescianini
- Centre for Behavioural Science and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Augustin Scalbert
- Nutrition and Metabolism Section, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | - Nivonirina Robinot
- Nutrition and Metabolism Section, International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | - Tim Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Franco Sassi
- Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation, Department of Economics & Public Policy, Imperial College Business School, South Kensington Campus, London, UK
| | - Martine Vrijheid
- Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Paolo Vineis
- Μedical Research Council Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Oliver Robinson
- Μedical Research Council Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK.
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14
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Different epigenetic signatures of newborn telomere length and telomere attrition rate in early life. Aging (Albany NY) 2021; 13:14630-14650. [PMID: 34086604 PMCID: PMC8221291 DOI: 10.18632/aging.203117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2021] [Accepted: 05/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Telomere length (TL) and telomere shortening are biological indicators of aging, and epigenetic associates have been found for TL in adults. However, the role of epigenetic signatures in setting newborn TL and early life telomere dynamics is unknown. In the present study, based on 247 participating newborns from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort, whole-genome DNA methylation, profiled on the Illumina MethylationEPIC BeadChip microarray, and TL were measured in cord blood. In a follow-up visit at a mean age of 4.58 years, leukocyte TL was evaluated. We combined an epigenome-wide association study and a statistical learning method with re-sampling to select CpGs and their two-way interactions to model baseline (cord blood) TL and early-life telomere attrition rate, where distinct epigenetic signatures were identified for the two outcomes. In addition, a stronger epigenetic regulation was suggested in setting newborn TL than that of telomere dynamics in early life: 47 CpGs and 7 between-CpG interactions explained 76% of the variance in baseline TLs, while 72% of the total variance in telomere attrition rate was explained by 31 CpGs and 5 interactions. Functional enrichment analysis based on the selected CpGs in the two models revealed GLUT4 translocation and immune cell signaling pathways, respectively. These CpGs and interactions, as well as the cellular pathways, are potential novel targets of further investigation of telomere biology and aging.
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15
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Hogervorst J, Vesper HW, Madhloum N, Gyselaers W, Nawrot T. Cord blood acrylamide levels and birth size, and interactions with genetic variants in acrylamide-metabolising genes. Environ Health 2021; 20:35. [PMID: 33794901 PMCID: PMC8015021 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-021-00715-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Up to now, 3 epidemiological studies have shown clear inverse associations between prenatal acrylamide exposure and birth size. In addition to studying the association between acrylamide and birth size, we investigated the interaction between acrylamide and polymorphisms in acrylamide-metabolising genes, with the aim of probing the causality of the inverse relationship between acrylamide and fetal growth. METHODS We investigated the association between prenatal acrylamide exposure (acrylamide and glycidamide hemoglobin adduct levels (AA-Hb and GA-Hb) in cord blood) and birth weight, length and head circumference in 443 newborns of the ENVIRONAGE (ENVIRonmental influence ON AGEing in early life) birth cohort. In addition, we studied interaction with single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in CYP2E1, EPHX1 and GSTP1, using multiple linear regression analysis. RESULTS Among all neonates, the body weight, length and head circumference of neonates in the highest quartile was - 101 g (95% CI: - 208, 7; p for trend = 0.12), - 0.13 cm (95% CI: - 0.62, 0.36; p for trend = 0.69) and - 0.41 cm (- 0.80, - 0.01; p for trend = 0.06) lower, respectively, compared to neonates in the lowest quartile of AA-Hb in cord blood, For GA-Hb, the corresponding effect estimates were - 222 g (95% CI: - 337, - 108; p for trend = 0.001), - 0.85 (95% CI: - 1.38, - 0.33; p for trend = 0.02) and - 0.55 (95% CI: - 0.98, - 0.11; p for trend = 0.01), respectively. The associations for GA-Hb were similar or stronger in newborns of non-smoking mothers. There was no statistically significant interaction between acrylamide exposure and the studied genetic variations but there was a trend of stronger inverse associations with birth weight and head circumference among newborns with homozygous wildtypes alleles for the CYP2E1 SNPS and with variant alleles for a GSTP1 SNP (rs1138272). CONCLUSIONS Prenatal dietary acrylamide exposure, specifically in the form of its metabolite glycidamide, was inversely associated with birth weight, length and head circumference. The interaction pattern with SNPs in CYP2E1, although not statistically significant, is an indication for the causality of this association. Other studies are needed to corroborate this finding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janneke Hogervorst
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan gebouw D, 3590 Diepenbeek, Hasselt, Belgium.
| | - Hubert W Vesper
- Division of Laboratory Sciences, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA
| | - Narjes Madhloum
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan gebouw D, 3590 Diepenbeek, Hasselt, Belgium
| | | | - Tim Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan gebouw D, 3590 Diepenbeek, Hasselt, Belgium
- Department of Public Health & Primary Care, Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium
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Neven KY, Cox B, Cosemans C, Gyselaers W, Penders J, Plusquin M, Roels HA, Vrijens K, Ruttens A, Nawrot TS. Lower iodine storage in the placenta is associated with gestational diabetes mellitus. BMC Med 2021; 19:47. [PMID: 33602219 PMCID: PMC7893873 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-021-01919-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The micronutrient iodine is essential for a healthy intrauterine environment and is required for optimal fetal growth and neurodevelopment. Evidence linking urinary iodine concentrations, which mainly reflects short-term iodine intake, to gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is inconclusive. Although the placental concentrations would better reflect the long-term gestational iodine status, no studies to date have investigated the association between the placental iodine load and the risk at GDM. Moreover, evidence is lacking whether placental iodine could play a role in biomarkers of insulin resistance and β-cell activity. METHODS We assessed the incidence of GDM between weeks 24 and 28 of gestation for 471 mother-neonate pairs from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort. In placentas, we determined the iodine concentrations. In maternal and cord blood, we measured the insulin concentrations, the Homeostasis Model Assessment (HOMA) for insulin resistance (IR) index, and β-cell activity. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios (OR) of GDM, and the population attributable factor (PAF) was calculated. Generalized linear models estimated the changes in insulin, HOMA-IR, and β-cell activity for a 5 μg/kg increase in placental iodine. RESULTS Higher placental iodine concentrations decreased the risk at GDM (OR = 0.82; 95%CI 0.72 to 0.93; p = 0.003). According to the PAF, 54.2% (95%CI 11.4 to 82.3%; p = 0.0006) of the GDM cases could be prevented if the mothers of the lowest tertile of placental iodine would have placental iodine levels as those belonging to the highest tertile. In cord blood, the plasma insulin concentration was inversely associated with the placental iodine load (β = - 4.8%; 95%CI - 8.9 to - 0.6%; p = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS Higher concentrations of placental iodine are linked with a lower incidence of GDM. Moreover, a lower placental iodine load is associated with an altered plasma insulin concentration, HOMA-IR index, and β-cell activity. These findings postulate that a mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency could be linked with subclinical and early-onset alterations in the normal insulin homeostasis in healthy pregnant women. Nevertheless, the functional link between gestational iodine status and GDM warrants further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristof Y Neven
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Bianca Cox
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Charlotte Cosemans
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | | | - Joris Penders
- Laboratory of Clinical Biology, East-Limburg Hospital, Genk, Belgium
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Harry A Roels
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Louvain Centre for Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Karen Vrijens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Ann Ruttens
- Sciensano, SD Chemical and Physical Health Risks, Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium. .,Department of Public Health & Primary Care, Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium.
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Huhn S, Escher BI, Krauss M, Scholz S, Hackermüller J, Altenburger R. Unravelling the chemical exposome in cohort studies: routes explored and steps to become comprehensive. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES EUROPE 2021; 33:17. [PMID: 33614387 PMCID: PMC7877320 DOI: 10.1186/s12302-020-00444-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Environmental factors contribute to the risk for adverse health outcomes against a background of genetic predisposition. Among these factors, chemical exposures may substantially contribute to disease risk and adverse outcomes. In fact, epidemiological cohort studies have established associations between exposure against individual chemicals and adverse health effects. Yet, in daily life individuals are exposed to complex mixtures in varying compositions. To capture the totality of environmental exposures the concept of the exposome has been developed. Here, we undertake an overview of major exposome projects, which pioneered the field of exposomics and explored the links between chemical exposure and health outcomes using cohort studies. We seek to reflect their achievements with regard to (i) capturing a comprehensive picture of the environmental chemical exposome, (ii) aggregating internal exposures using chemical and bioanalytical means of detection, and (iii) identifying associations that provide novel options for risk assessment and intervention. Various complementary approaches can be distinguished in addressing relevant exposure routes and it emerges that individual exposure histories may not easily be grouped. The number of chemicals for which human exposure can be detected is substantial and highlights the reality of mixture exposures. Yet, to a large extent it depends on targeted chemical analysis with the specific challenges to capture all relevant exposure routes and assess the chemical concentrations occurring in humans. The currently used approaches imply prior knowledge or hypotheses about relevant exposures. Typically, the number of chemicals considered in exposome projects is counted in dozens-in contrast to the several thousands of chemicals for which occurrence have been reported in human serum and urine. Furthermore, health outcomes are often still compared to single chemicals only. Moreover, explicit consideration of mixture effects and the interrelations between different outcomes to support causal relationships and identify risk drivers in complex mixtures remain underdeveloped and call for specifically designed exposome-cohort studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Huhn
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH – UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
- Pediatric Epidemiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Leipzig Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Beate I. Escher
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH – UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
- Environmental Toxicology, Center for Applied Geosciences, Eberhard Karls University Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Martin Krauss
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH – UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Stefan Scholz
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH – UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jörg Hackermüller
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH – UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Rolf Altenburger
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH – UFZ, Permoserstraße 15, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Bioanalytical Ecotoxicology, RWTH-Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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18
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Provost EB, Nawrot TS, Int Panis L, Standaert A, Saenen ND, De Boever P. Denser Retinal Microvascular Network Is Inversely Associated With Behavioral Outcomes and Sustained Attention in Children. Front Neurol 2021; 12:547033. [PMID: 33584528 PMCID: PMC7880124 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.547033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in geometry of the retinal microvascular network, including vessel width, vessel density, and tortuosity, have been associated with neurological disorders in adults. We investigated metrics of the retinal microvasculature in association with behavior and cognition in 8- to 12-year-old children. Digital fundus images of 190 children (48.2% girls, mean age 9.9 years) were used to calculate retinal vessel diameters, fractal dimension, lacunarity, and tortuosity. Parents filled out a Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) for behavioral screening. Cognitive performance testing included a computerized version of the Stroop test (selective attention), the Continuous Performance (sustained attention), the Digit-Symbol (visual scanning and information-processing speed) and the Pattern Comparison (visuospatial analytic ability) tests from the Neurobehavioral Evaluation System (NES3) battery. Retinal vessel geometry was significantly associated with the SDQ problem score, which increased with 1.1 points (95% CI: 0.3 to 1.9 points) per interquartile (IQR) increment in retinal fractal dimension, and decreased 1.4 points (95% CI: −2.4 to −0.4 points) or decreased 1.0 points (95% CI: −2.1 to 0.1 points) per IQR increment in retinal vascular lacunarity or tortuosity, respectively. Sensitivity analyses showed that results were driven by the hyperactivity/inattention and conduct problem scales of the SDQ. Correspondingly, mean reaction time on the Continuous Performance test increased by 11 ms (95% CI: 4.4 to 17.6 ms) with an IQR increase in fractal dimension. The results indicate that a denser retinal microvascular network, exemplified by a higher fractal dimension and lower lacunarity, are inversely associated with behavioral outcomes and sustained attention in children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eline B Provost
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Health Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Luc Int Panis
- Health Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium.,School for Mobility, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Arnout Standaert
- Health Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium
| | - Nelly D Saenen
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Patrick De Boever
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Health Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium.,Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
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19
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Neven KY, Cox B, Vrijens K, Plusquin M, Roels HA, Ruttens A, Nawrot TS. Determinants of placental iodine concentrations in a mild-to-moderate iodine-deficient population: an ENVIRONAGE cohort study. J Transl Med 2020; 18:426. [PMID: 33172470 PMCID: PMC7654607 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-020-02601-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Iodine is an essential trace element for the production of thyroid hormones, and plays a key role during the gestational period for optimal foetal growth and (neuro-)development. To this day, iodine deficiency remains a global burden. Previous studies indicate that the placenta can store iodine in a concentration-dependent manner and serve as a long-term storage supply, but studies on the determinants of long-term placental iodine load are limited. Methods The placental iodine concentrations were determined for 462 mother-neonate pairs from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort (Limburg, Belgium). Sociodemographic and clinical variables were obtained from questionnaires and medical files. Determinants of placental iodine concentration were identified using stepwise multiple regression procedures (p value < 0.15). The biological significance of our findings was investigated by measuring the plasma thyroid hormones in maternal and cord blood of 378 participants. Results A higher pre-pregnancy BMI, higher gestational weight gain, and alcohol consumption during pregnancy were linked with lower placental iodine storage. Multi-vitamin supplementation during pregnancy and longer gestation were associated with higher levels of placental iodine. Children born during the winter period had on average higher placental iodine levels. Besides, we found a significant positive time trend for placental iodine load over the study period 2013 to 2017. Lastly, we observed positive associations of both the maternal and cord plasma thyroxine concentrations with placental iodine load, emphasizing their biological link. Conclusions This study identified some determinants likely presenting a risk of reduced iodine storage during the gestational period of life. Future studies should elucidate the effects of lower placental iodine load on neonatal health, and health later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristof Y Neven
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Gebouw D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
| | - Bianca Cox
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Gebouw D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Karen Vrijens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Gebouw D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Gebouw D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Harry A Roels
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Gebouw D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Louvain Centre for Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, Université Catholique de Louvain, E. Mounierlaan 53, 1200, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ann Ruttens
- Sciensano, SD Chemical, and Physical Health Risks, Leuvensesteenweg 17, 3080, Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Gebouw D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Department of Public Health & Primary Care, Leuven University, Kapucijnenvoer 35, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
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20
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Bongaerts E, Nawrot TS, Van Pee T, Ameloot M, Bové H. Translocation of (ultra)fine particles and nanoparticles across the placenta; a systematic review on the evidence of in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo studies. Part Fibre Toxicol 2020; 17:56. [PMID: 33138843 PMCID: PMC7607677 DOI: 10.1186/s12989-020-00386-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Fetal development is a crucial window of susceptibility in which exposure may lead to detrimental health outcomes at birth and later in life. The placenta serves as a gatekeeper between mother and fetus. Knowledge regarding the barrier capacity of the placenta for nanoparticles is limited, mostly due to technical obstacles and ethical issues. We systematically summarize and discuss the current evidence and define knowledge gaps concerning the maternal-fetal transport and fetoplacental accumulation of (ultra)fine particles and nanoparticles. We included 73 studies on placental translocation of particles, of which 21 in vitro/ex vivo studies, 50 animal studies, and 2 human studies on transplacental particle transfer. This systematic review shows that (i) (ultra)fine particles and engineered nanoparticles can bypass the placenta and reach fetal units as observed for all the applied models irrespective of the species origin (i.e., rodent, rabbit, or human) or the complexity (i.e., in vitro, ex vivo, or in vivo), (ii) particle size, particle material, dose, particle dissolution, gestational stage of the model, and surface composition influence maternal-fetal translocation, and (iii) no simple, standardized method for nanoparticle detection and/or quantification in biological matrices is available to date. Existing evidence, research gaps, and perspectives of maternal-fetal particle transfer are highlighted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Bongaerts
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, Box 703, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Thessa Van Pee
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Marcel Ameloot
- Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building C, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Hannelore Bové
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
- Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building C, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
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21
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Alfano R, Chadeau-Hyam M, Ghantous A, Keski-Rahkonen P, Chatzi L, Perez AE, Herceg Z, Kogevinas M, de Kok TM, Nawrot TS, Novoloaca A, Patel CJ, Pizzi C, Robinot N, Rusconi F, Scalbert A, Sunyer J, Vermeulen R, Vrijheid M, Vineis P, Robinson O, Plusquin M. A multi-omic analysis of birthweight in newborn cord blood reveals new underlying mechanisms related to cholesterol metabolism. Metabolism 2020; 110:154292. [PMID: 32553738 PMCID: PMC7450273 DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2020.154292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Revised: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Birthweight reflects in utero exposures and later health evolution. Despite existing studies employing high-dimensional molecular measurements, the understanding of underlying mechanisms of birthweight remains limited. METHODS To investigate the systems biology of birthweight, we cross-sectionally integrated the methylome, the transcriptome, the metabolome and a set of inflammatory proteins measured in cord blood samples, collected from four birth-cohorts (n = 489). We focused on two sets of 68 metabolites and 903 CpGs previously related to birthweight and investigated the correlation structures existing between these two sets and all other omic features via bipartite Pearson correlations. RESULTS This dataset revealed that the set of metabolome and methylome signatures of birthweight have seven signals in common, including three metabolites [PC(34:2), plasmalogen PC(36:4)/PC(O-36:5), and a compound with m/z of 781.0545], two CpGs (on the DHCR24 and SC4MOL gene), and two proteins (periostin and CCL22). CCL22, a macrophage-derived chemokine has not been previously identified in relation to birthweight. Since the results of the omics integration indicated the central role of cholesterol metabolism, we explored the association of cholesterol levels in cord blood with birthweight in the ENVIRONAGE cohort (n = 1097), finding that higher birthweight was associated with increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and that high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was lower in small versus large for gestational age newborns. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggests that an integration of different omic-layers in addition to single omics studies is a useful approach to generate new hypotheses regarding biological mechanisms. CCL22 and cholesterol metabolism in cord blood play a mechanistic role in birthweight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Alfano
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Marc Chadeau-Hyam
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Division of Environmental Epidemiology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Akram Ghantous
- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69008 Lyon, France
| | - Pekka Keski-Rahkonen
- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69008 Lyon, France
| | - Leda Chatzi
- Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90007, United States; Department of Social Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - Almudena Espin Perez
- Department of Biomedical Informatics Research, Stanford University, CA, United States
| | - Zdenko Herceg
- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69008 Lyon, France
| | - Manolis Kogevinas
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain; ISGlobal, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain; Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Theo M de Kok
- Department of Toxicogenomics, Maastricht University, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium; Environment & Health Unit, Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Alexei Novoloaca
- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69008 Lyon, France
| | - Chirag J Patel
- Department of Biomedical Informatics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, United States
| | - Costanza Pizzi
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin and CPO-Piemonte, Torino, Italy
| | - Nivonirina Robinot
- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69008 Lyon, France
| | - Franca Rusconi
- Unit of Epidemiology, Anna Meyer Children's University Hospital, Florence, Italy
| | - Augustin Scalbert
- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69008 Lyon, France
| | - Jordi Sunyer
- ISGlobal, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain; Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Roel Vermeulen
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Division of Environmental Epidemiology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Martine Vrijheid
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain; ISGlobal, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain; Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Paolo Vineis
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Human Genetic Foundation (HuGeF), Turin, Italy
| | - Oliver Robinson
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
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22
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Tsamou M, Nawrot TS, Carollo RM, Trippas AJ, Lefebvre W, Vanpoucke C, Vrijens K. Prenatal particulate air pollution exposure and expression of the miR-17/92 cluster in cord blood: Findings from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort. ENVIRONMENT INTERNATIONAL 2020; 142:105860. [PMID: 32599355 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.105860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Air pollution exposure during pregnancy is an important environmental health issue. Epigenetics mediate the effects of prenatal exposure and could increase disease predisposition in later life. The oncogenic miR-17/92 cluster is involved in normal development and disease. OBJECTIVES Here, for the first time the potential prenatal effects of particulate matter with a diameter<2.5 μm (PM2.5) exposure on expression of the miR-17/92 cluster in cord blood are explored. METHODS In 370 mother-newborn pairs from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort, expression of three members of the miR-17/92 cluster was measured in cord blood by qRT-PCR. Expression of C-MYC and CDKN1A, a cluster activator and a target gene, respectively, was also analyzed. Multivariable linear regression models were used to associate the relative m(i)RNA expression with prenatal PM2.5 exposure. RESULTS PM2.5 exposure averaged (10th-90th percentile) 11.7 (9.0-14.4) µg/m3 over the entire pregnancy. In cord blood, miR-17 and miR-20a showed a -45.0% (95%CI: -55.9 to -31.4, p < 0.0001) and a -33.7% (95%CI: -46.9 to -17.2, p = 0.0003), decrease in expression in association with first trimester PM2.5 exposure, and a -32.5% (95%CI: -45.6 to -16.3, p = 0.0004) and -23.3% (95%CI: -38.1 to -4.8, p = 0.02), respectively, decrease in expression in association with PM2.5 exposure during the entire pregnancy. In association with third trimester PM2.5 exposure, a reduction of -25.8% (95%CI: -40.2 to -8.0, p = 0.007) and -14.2% (95%CI: -27.7 to 1.9, p = 0.08), for miR-20a and miR-92a expression, respectively, was identified. Only miR-92a expression (-15.7%, 95%CI: -27.3 to -2.4, p = 0.02) was associated with PM2.5 exposure during the last month of pregnancy. C-MYC expression was downregulated in cord blood in association with prenatal PM2.5 exposure during the first trimester and the entire pregnancy, in the adjusted model. DISCUSSION Lower expression levels of the miR-17/92 cluster in cord blood in association with increased prenatal PM2.5 exposure were observed. Whether this oncogenic microRNA cluster plays a role in trans-placental carcinogenesis remains to be elucidated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Tsamou
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium; Department of Public Health, Environment & Health Unit, Leuven University (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Ann-Julie Trippas
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Wouter Lefebvre
- Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium
| | | | - Karen Vrijens
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.
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23
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Vrijens K, Van Overmeire I, De Cremer K, Neven KY, Carollo RM, Vleminckx C, Van Loco J, Nawrot TS. Weight and head circumference at birth in function of placental paraben load in Belgium: an ENVIRONAGE birth cohort study. Environ Health 2020; 19:83. [PMID: 32664952 PMCID: PMC7359508 DOI: 10.1186/s12940-020-00635-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 07/03/2020] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Parabens are a group of esters of para-hydroxybenzoic acid utilized as antimicrobial preservatives in many personal care products. Epidemiological studies regarding the adverse effects of parabens on fetuses are limited. The aim of this study was to determine the association between placental paraben exposure and birth outcomes. We assessed paraben concentrations in placental tissue, which potentially gives a better understanding of fetal exposure than the maternal urinary concentrations which are the current golden standard. METHODS Placental tissue was collected immediately after birth from 142 mother-child pairs from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort. The placental concentrations of four parabens (methyl (MeP), ethyl (EtP), propyl (PrP), and butyl (BuP)) were determined by ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass-spectrometry. Generalized linear regression models were used to determine the association between paraben exposure levels and birth outcomes. RESULTS The geometric means of placental MeP, EtP, PrP, and BuP were 1.84, 2.16, 1.68 and 0.05 ng/g tissue, respectively. The sum of parabens (∑ parabens, including MeP, EtP and PrP) was negatively associated with birth weight in newborn girls (- 166 g, 95% CI: - 322, - 8.6, p = 0.04) after adjustment for a priori selected covariates. The sum of parabens was negatively associated with head circumference (- 0.6 cm, 95% CI: - 1.1, - 0.2, p = 0.008) and borderline associated with birth length (- 0.6 cm, 95% CI:-1.3, 0.1, p = 0.08). In newborn girls the placental concentration of EtP was negatively associated with head circumference (- 0.6 cm, 95% CI:-1.1, - 0.1, p = 0.01) and borderline significantly associated with birth weight and birth length. Lastly, placental EtP and ∑parabens were negatively associated with placental weight in newborn girls but not in newborn boys (- 45.3 g, 95% CI:-86.2, - 4.4, p = 0.03). CONCLUSION The negative association between maternal paraben exposure and birth outcomes warrants further research and follow-up over time to determine long term effects of gestational exposure to parabens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen Vrijens
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Ilse Van Overmeire
- Sciensano, Chemical and physical Health Risks, J. Wytsmanstraat 14, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Koen De Cremer
- Sciensano, Chemical and physical Health Risks, J. Wytsmanstraat 14, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Kristof Y. Neven
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Riccardo M. Carollo
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Christiane Vleminckx
- Sciensano, Chemical and physical Health Risks, J. Wytsmanstraat 14, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Joris Van Loco
- Sciensano, Chemical and physical Health Risks, J. Wytsmanstraat 14, 1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Tim S. Nawrot
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
- Department of Public Health, Environment & Health Unit, Leuven University (KU Leuven), Kapucijnenvoer 35, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
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Luyten LJ, Dockx Y, Madhloum N, Sleurs H, Gerrits N, Janssen BG, Neven KY, Plusquin M, Provost EB, De Boever P, Nawrot TS. Association of Retinal Microvascular Characteristics With Short-term Memory Performance in Children Aged 4 to 5 Years. JAMA Netw Open 2020; 3:e2011537. [PMID: 32706383 PMCID: PMC7382002 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.11537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Neurocognitive functions develop rapidly in early childhood and depend on the intrinsic cooperation between cerebral structures and the circulatory system. The retinal microvasculature can be regarded as a mirror image of the cerebrovascular circulation. OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between retinal vessel characteristics and neurological functioning in children aged 4 to 5 years. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In this cohort study, mother-child pairs were recruited at birth from February 10, 2010, to June 24, 2014, and renewed consent at their follow-up visit from December 10, 2014, to July 13, 2018. Participants were followed up longitudinally within the prospective Environmental Influence on Aging in Early Life birth cohort. A total of 251 children underwent assessment for this study. Data were analyzed from July 17 to October 30, 2019. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Retinal vascular diameters, the central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE), central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE), vessel tortuosity, and fractal dimensions were determined. Attention and psychomotor speed, visuospatial working memory, and short-term visual recognition memory were assessed by the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery, including the following tasks: Motor Screening (MOT), Big/Little Circle (BLC), Spatial Span (SSP), and Delayed Matching to Sample (DMS). RESULTS Among the 251 children included in the assessment (135 girls [53.8%]; mean [SD] age, 4.5 [0.4] years), for every 1-SD widening in CRVE, the children performed relatively 2.74% (95% CI, -0.12 to 5.49; P = .06) slower on the MOT test, had 1.76% (95% CI, -3.53% to -0.04%; P = .04) fewer correct DMS assessments in total, and made 2.94% (95% CI, 0.39 to 5.29; P = .02) more errors given a previous correct answer in the DMS task on multiple linear regression modeling. For every 1-SD widening in CRAE, the total percentage of errors and errors given previous correct answers in the DMS task increased 1.44% (95% CI, -3.25% to 0.29%; P = .09) and 2.30% (95% CI, -0.14% to 4.61%; P = .07), respectively. A 1-SD higher vessel tortuosity showed a 4.32% relative increase in latency in DMS task performance (95% CI, -0.48% to 9.12%; P = .07). Retinal vessel characteristics were not associated with BLC and SSP test outcomes. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE These findings suggest that children's microvascular phenotypes are associated with short-term memory and that changes in the retinal microvasculature may reflect neurological development during early childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leen J. Luyten
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Unité de Recherche en Biologie Cellulaire–Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences, Namur University, Namur, Belgium
| | - Yinthe Dockx
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Narjes Madhloum
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Hanne Sleurs
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Nele Gerrits
- Health Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Mol, Belgium
| | - Bram G. Janssen
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Kristof Y. Neven
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Eline B. Provost
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Health Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Mol, Belgium
| | - Patrick De Boever
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Health Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Mol, Belgium
| | - Tim S. Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium
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Luyten LJ, Dockx Y, Provost EB, Madhloum N, Sleurs H, Neven KY, Janssen BG, Bové H, Debacq-Chainiaux F, Gerrits N, Lefebvre W, Plusquin M, Vanpoucke C, De Boever P, Nawrot TS. Children's microvascular traits and ambient air pollution exposure during pregnancy and early childhood: prospective evidence to elucidate the developmental origin of particle-induced disease. BMC Med 2020; 18:128. [PMID: 32450864 PMCID: PMC7249678 DOI: 10.1186/s12916-020-01586-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Particulate matter exposure during in utero life may entail adverse health outcomes later in life. The microvasculature undergoes extensive, organ-specific prenatal maturation. A growing body of evidence shows that cardiovascular disease in adulthood is rooted in a dysfunctional fetal and perinatal development, in particular that of the microcirculation. We investigate whether prenatal or postnatal exposure to PM2.5 (particulate matter with a diameter ≤ 2.5 μm) or NO2 is related to microvascular traits in children between the age of four and six. METHODS We measured the retinal microvascular diameters, the central retinal arteriolar equivalent (CRAE) and central retinal venular equivalent (CRVE), and the vessel curvature by means of the tortuosity index (TI) in young children (mean [SD] age 4.6 [0.4] years), followed longitudinally within the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort. We modeled daily prenatal and postnatal PM2.5 and NO2 exposure levels for each participant's home address using a high-resolution spatiotemporal model. RESULTS An interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM2.5 exposure during the entire pregnancy was associated with a 3.85-μm (95% CI, 0.10 to 7.60; p = 0.04) widening of the CRVE and a 2.87-μm (95% CI, 0.12 to 5.62; p = 0.04) widening of the CRAE. For prenatal NO2 exposure, an IQR increase was found to widen the CRVE with 4.03 μm (95% CI, 0.44 to 7.63; p = 0.03) and the CRAE with 2.92 μm (95% CI, 0.29 to 5.56; p = 0.03). Furthermore, a higher TI score was associated with higher prenatal NO2 exposure. We observed a postnatal effect of short-term PM2.5 exposure on the CRAE and a childhood NO2 exposure effect on both the CRVE and CRAE. CONCLUSIONS Our results link prenatal and postnatal air pollution exposure with changes in a child's microvascular traits as a fundamental novel mechanism to explain the developmental origin of cardiovascular disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leen J Luyten
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Unité de Recherche en Biologie Cellulaire (URBC) - Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences (Narilis), Namur University, Namur, Belgium
| | - Yinthe Dockx
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Eline B Provost
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Health Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium
| | - Narjes Madhloum
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Hanne Sleurs
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Kristof Y Neven
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Bram G Janssen
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Hannelore Bové
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Florence Debacq-Chainiaux
- Unité de Recherche en Biologie Cellulaire (URBC) - Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences (Narilis), Namur University, Namur, Belgium
| | - Nele Gerrits
- Health Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium
| | - Wouter Lefebvre
- Health Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | | | - Patrick De Boever
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Health Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium. .,Department of Public Health & Primary Care, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium.
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Martens DS, Janssen BG, Bijnens EM, Clemente DBP, Vineis P, Plusquin M, Nawrot TS. Association of Parental Socioeconomic Status and Newborn Telomere Length. JAMA Netw Open 2020; 3:e204057. [PMID: 32364595 PMCID: PMC7199116 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.4057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Low socioeconomic status is associated with higher all-cause mortality and risks for aging-related diseases. Biological aging is a potential process underlying health conditions related to social disadvantages, which may be present from birth onward. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association of parental socioeconomic status with telomere length (TL) at birth, a marker of biological aging. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This prospective birth cohort study was conducted among 1504 mother-newborn pairs in Belgium recruited between February 1, 2010, and July 1, 2017. EXPOSURES Parental socioeconomic measures, including maternal educational level, occupation, paternal educational level, and neighborhood income based on median annual household income. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Mean relative TL was measured in cord blood and placental tissue. By constructing a principal component, an integrative socioeconomic measure was derived that integrates parental socioeconomic status and neighborhood income. Multivariable adjusted regression analyses were performed to associate the integrative socioeconomic measure and TL at birth. RESULTS In 1026 newborns (517 boys; mean [SD] gestational age, 39.2 [1.4] weeks), a higher socioeconomic status was associated with longer cord blood TL and placental TL. Each unit increment in the integrative socioeconomic status measure was associated with 2.1% (95% CI, 0.9%-3.4%; P < .001) longer cord blood TL in boys, while no association was observed for girls (0.5% longer cord blood TL; 95% CI, -0.9% to 1.8%; P = .50). The sex-specific socioeconomic status interaction revealed a stronger association in boys compared with newborn girls (1.6%; 95% CI, 0.02%-3.3%; P = .047 for interaction). In placental tissue, higher socioeconomic status was associated with 1.8% (95% CI, 0.3%-3.3%; P = .02) longer TL in newborn boys but not in girls (0.4% longer TL; 95% CI, -1.2% to 2.0%; P = .63). For placental tissue, no sex and socioeconomic status interaction on TL was observed (1.4%; 95% CI, -0.5% to 3.4%; P = .16 for interaction). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE This study suggests that parental socioeconomic status is associated with newborn TL, especially in boys. The results indicate that familial social economic factors are associated with the potential cellular longevity of the next generation, with a potential higher transgenerational vulnerability for newborn boys.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dries S. Martens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Bram G. Janssen
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Esmée M. Bijnens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | | | - Paolo Vineis
- Medical Research Council–Health Policy Agency, Centre for Environment and Health, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Tim S. Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium
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Cox B, Luyten LJ, Dockx Y, Provost E, Madhloum N, De Boever P, Neven KY, Sassi F, Sleurs H, Vrijens K, Vineis P, Plusquin M, Nawrot TS. Association Between Maternal Prepregnancy Body Mass Index and Anthropometric Parameters, Blood Pressure, and Retinal Microvasculature in Children Age 4 to 6 Years. JAMA Netw Open 2020; 3:e204662. [PMID: 32396192 PMCID: PMC7218490 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.4662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Maternal prepregnancy body mass index (BMI; calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) has previously been associated with offspring cardiometabolic risk factors, such as fat mass, glucose and insulin levels, and blood pressure, but these associations appear to be largely mediated by offspring BMI. To our knowledge, no studies have assessed alterations in the retinal microvasculature in association with maternal prepregnancy BMI. OBJECTIVE To investigate the association between maternal prepregnancy BMI and anthropometric parameters, blood pressure, and retinal vessel parameters in children age 4 to 6 years. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Participants included mother-child pairs of the population-based Environmental Influence on Early Aging (ENVIRONAGE) birth cohort study (Flanders, Belgium) who were recruited at birth from February 2010 to June 2014 and followed-up at age 4 to 6 years between October 2014 and July 2018. Data were analyzed from February 2019 to April 2019. EXPOSURES Maternal prepregnancy BMI based on height and weight measurements at the first antenatal visit (weeks 7-9 of gestation). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Children's anthropometric, blood pressure, and retinal microcirculation measurements at age 4 to 6 years. Retinal vessel diameters and the tortuosity index, a measure for the curvature of the retinal vasculature, were obtained by fundus image analysis. RESULTS This study included 240 mothers and children with a mean (SD) age of 29. 9 (4.2) years and 54.8 (4.7) months, respectively. Of these, 114 children (47.5%) were boys. Maternal prepregnancy BMI was positively associated with the child's birth weight, BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, and retinal vessel tortuosity. A 1-point increase in maternal prepregnancy BMI was associated with a 0.26-mm Hg (95% CI, 0.08-0.44) higher mean arterial pressure for their children, with similar estimates for systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Independent from the association with blood pressure, a 1-point increase in maternal prepregnancy BMI was associated with a 0.40 (95% CI, 0.01-0.80) higher retinal tortuosity index (× 103). The hypothesis that these associations reflect direct intrauterine mechanisms is supported by the following observations: associations were independent of the current child's BMI and the estimates for paternal BMI at the follow-up visit did not reach significance. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Considering that blood pressure tracks from childhood into adulthood and microvascular changes may be early markers of cardiometabolic disease development, our results suggest that maternal prepregnancy BMI is an important modifiable risk factor for later-life cardiovascular health of the offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Cox
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Leen J. Luyten
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Unité de Recherche en Biologie Cellulaire, Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences, Namur University, Namur, Belgium
| | - Yinthe Dockx
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Eline Provost
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Health Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Mol, Belgium
| | - Narjes Madhloum
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Patrick De Boever
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Health Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research, Mol, Belgium
| | - Kristof Y. Neven
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Franco Sassi
- Imperial College Business School, Centre for Health Economics and Policy Innovation, London, England
| | - Hanne Sleurs
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Karen Vrijens
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Paolo Vineis
- School of Public Health, Imperial College, London, England
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Tim S. Nawrot
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Environment & Health Unit, Department of Public Health, Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium
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Madhloum N, Luyten LJ, Provost EB, De Boever P, Dockx Y, Sleurs H, Plusquin M, Roodt JO, Vrijens K, Nawrot TS. Establishing reference values for macro- and microvascular measurements in 4-to-5 year-old children of the ENVIRONAGE prospective birth cohort. Sci Rep 2020; 10:5107. [PMID: 32198402 PMCID: PMC7083909 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61987-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/30/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Cardiovascular risk factors are usually better tolerated, and can therefore be perceived as less harmful, at a young age. However, over time the effects of these adverse factors may persist or accumulate and lead to excess morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular diseases later in life. Until now, reference values for the basic cardiovascular health characteristics of 4-to-6 year-old children are lacking. Within a follow-up study of the ENVIRONAGE (ENVIRonmental influence ON early AGE) birth cohort we assessed various cardiovascular measurements in 288 children aged 4–5 years. For the macrovasculature, we measured their blood pressure and examined the intima-media thickness of the carotid artery (CIMT), the arterial elasticity (including the pulse-wave velocity (PWV), carotid distensibility (DC) and compliance (CC) coefficients), the carotid β stiffness index (SIβ) and Young’s Elastic Modulus (YEM). Retinal microvascular traits included the Central Retinal Arteriolar Equivalent (CRAE) and Central Retinal Venular Equivalent (CRVE). Age of the study population averaged (±SD) 4.2 (±0.4 years. Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 97.9 (±8.1) mmHg and 54.7(±7.6) mmHg, respectively. CIMT for the total population averaged 487.1 (±68.1) µm. The average stiffness values for DC, CC, SIβ, and PWV were 78.7 (±34.2) 10−³/kPa, 1.61 (±0.59) mm2/kPa and 4.4 (±2.4), and 3.7 m/s (±0.9) respectively. The mean determined for YEM was 163.2 kPa (±79.9). Concerning the microvasculature, the average CRAE was 180.9 (±14.2) µm and the corresponding value for CRVE was 251.0 (±19.7) µm. In contrast to the macrovasculature, a significant gender-related difference existed for the microvasculature: in boys, both the CRAE (178.8 µm vs 182.6 µm; p = 0.03) and CRVE (247.9 µm vs 254.0 µm; p = 0.01) were narrower than in girls. We have provided reference values for young children to understand changes in the early cardiovascular health trajectory. Establishing these reference values of cardiovascular phenotypes at this young age is necessary to develop targeted health promotion strategies as well as for better understanding of the life course changes of both small and large blood vessels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Narjes Madhloum
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Leen J Luyten
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.,Unité de Recherche en Biologie Cellulaire (URBC) - Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences (Narilis), Namur University, Namur, Belgium
| | - Eline B Provost
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.,Health Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium
| | - Patrick De Boever
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.,Health Unit, Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Mol, Belgium
| | - Yinthe Dockx
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Hanne Sleurs
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Jos Op't Roodt
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.,Department of Internal Medicine, Maastricht University Medical Centre (MUMC+), Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Karen Vrijens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium. .,Department of Public Health & Primary Care, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium.
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Abstract
Iodine is an essential trace element, necessary for the production of thyroid hormones, which play a key role in optimal foetal growth and (neuro-) development. To date, iodine deficiency remains a health burden in many countries. We investigated the variability of placental iodine concentrations within and between individuals. We used 20 mother-neonate pairs from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort, took samples at three standardized locations of the placentas, pooled and digested them, and determined the iodine concentrations using an ICP-MS method as an alternative for the Sandell-Kolthoff method. The variability between and within the three sample regions was calculated using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) from the variance components of mixed models. With the Friedman test, the differences between placental biopsies were assessed. The ICC showed a higher between-placenta (68.6%) than within-placenta (31.4%) variability. Subsequently, we used our optimized method to determine iodine concentrations in 498 mother-neonate pairs, which averaged 26.1 μg/kg. For 96 mothers, the urinary iodine concentrations were also determined, which showed no correlation with the placental iodine storage, as was expected. Future studies are necessary to explore the effects of these placental iodine concentrations in relation to health outcomes of mother and child at birth and later in life.
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30
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Martens DS, Plusquin M, Cox B, Nawrot TS. Early Biological Aging and Fetal Exposure to High and Low Ambient Temperature: A Birth Cohort Study. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PERSPECTIVES 2019; 127:117001. [PMID: 31691586 PMCID: PMC6927502 DOI: 10.1289/ehp5153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2019] [Revised: 08/26/2019] [Accepted: 08/26/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although studies have provided estimates of premature mortality to either heat or cold in adult populations, and fetal exposure to ambient temperature may be associated with life expectancy, the effects of temperature on aging in early life have not yet been studied. Telomere length (TL) is a marker of biological aging, and a short TL at birth may predict lifespan and disease susceptibility later in life. OBJECTIVES We studied to what extent prenatal ambient temperature exposure is associated with newborn TL. METHODS In the ENVIRONAGE (ENVIRonmental influence ON early AGEing) birth cohort in Flanders, Belgium, we measured cord blood and placental TL in 1,103 mother-newborn pairs (singletons with ≥36wk of gestation) using a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method. We associated newborn TL with average weekly exposure to ambient temperature using distributed lag nonlinear models (DLNMs) while controlling for potential confounders. Double-threshold DLNMs were used to estimate cold and heat thresholds and the linear associations between temperature and TL below the cold threshold and above the heat threshold. RESULTS Prenatal temperature exposure above the heat threshold (19.5°C) was associated with shorter cord blood TL. The association with a 1°C increase in temperature was strongest at week 36 of gestation and resulted in a 3.29% [95% confidence interval (CI): -4.67, -1.88] shorter cord blood TL. Consistently, prenatal temperature exposure below the cold threshold (5.0°C) was associated with longer cord blood TL. The association with a 1°C decrease in temperature was strongest at week 10 of gestation with 0.72% (95% CI: 0.46, 0.97) longer cord blood TL. DISCUSSION Our study supports potential effects of prenatal temperature exposure on longevity and disease susceptibility later in life. Future climate scenarios might jeopardize the potential molecular longevity of future generations from birth onward. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP5153.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dries S Martens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Bianca Cox
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium
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Bové H, Bongaerts E, Slenders E, Bijnens EM, Saenen ND, Gyselaers W, Van Eyken P, Plusquin M, Roeffaers MBJ, Ameloot M, Nawrot TS. Ambient black carbon particles reach the fetal side of human placenta. Nat Commun 2019; 10:3866. [PMID: 31530803 PMCID: PMC6748955 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11654-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 347] [Impact Index Per Article: 69.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Accepted: 06/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Particle transfer across the placenta has been suggested but to date, no direct evidence in real-life, human context exists. Here we report the presence of black carbon (BC) particles as part of combustion-derived particulate matter in human placentae using white-light generation under femtosecond pulsed illumination. BC is identified in all screened placentae, with an average (SD) particle count of 0.95 × 104 (0.66 × 104) and 2.09 × 104 (0.9 × 104) particles per mm3 for low and high exposed mothers, respectively. Furthermore, the placental BC load is positively associated with mothers’ residential BC exposure during pregnancy (0.63–2.42 µg per m3). Our finding that BC particles accumulate on the fetal side of the placenta suggests that ambient particulates could be transported towards the fetus and represents a potential mechanism explaining the detrimental health effects of pollution from early life onwards. Exposure to air pollution during pregnancy has been associated with impaired birth outcomes. Here, Bové et al. report evidence of black carbon particle deposition on the fetal side of human placentae, including at early stages of pregnancy, suggesting air pollution could affect birth outcome through direct effects on the fetus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannelore Bové
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building C, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F-box 2461, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Eva Bongaerts
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Eli Slenders
- Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building C, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Esmée M Bijnens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Nelly D Saenen
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Wilfried Gyselaers
- Department of Obstetrics, East-Limburg Hospital, Schiepse Bos 6, 3600, Genk, Belgium
| | - Peter Van Eyken
- Department of Obstetrics, East-Limburg Hospital, Schiepse Bos 6, 3600, Genk, Belgium
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Maarten B J Roeffaers
- Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F-box 2461, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marcel Ameloot
- Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building C, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium. .,Department of Public Health and Primary Care, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49-box 706, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
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Saenen ND, Martens DS, Neven KY, Alfano R, Bové H, Janssen BG, Roels HA, Plusquin M, Vrijens K, Nawrot TS. Air pollution-induced placental alterations: an interplay of oxidative stress, epigenetics, and the aging phenotype? Clin Epigenetics 2019; 11:124. [PMID: 31530287 PMCID: PMC6749657 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-019-0688-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2019] [Accepted: 05/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
According to the "Developmental Origins of Health and Disease" (DOHaD) concept, the early-life environment is a critical period for fetal programming. Given the epidemiological evidence that air pollution exposure during pregnancy adversely affects newborn outcomes such as birth weight and preterm birth, there is a need to pay attention to underlying modes of action to better understand not only these air pollution-induced early health effects but also its later-life consequences. In this review, we give an overview of air pollution-induced placental molecular alterations observed in the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort and evaluate the existing evidence. In general, we showed that prenatal exposure to air pollution is associated with nitrosative stress and epigenetic alterations in the placenta. Adversely affected CpG targets were involved in cellular processes including DNA repair, circadian rhythm, and energy metabolism. For miRNA expression, specific air pollution exposure windows were associated with altered miR-20a, miR-21, miR-146a, and miR-222 expression. Early-life aging markers including telomere length and mitochondrial DNA content are associated with air pollution exposure during pregnancy. Previously, we proposed the air pollution-induced telomere-mitochondrial aging hypothesis with a direct link between telomeres and mitochondria. Here, we extend this view with a potential co-interaction of different biological mechanisms on the level of placental oxidative stress, epigenetics, aging, and energy metabolism. Investigating the placenta is an opportunity for future research as it may help to understand the fundamental biology underpinning the DOHaD concept through the interactions between the underlying modes of action, prenatal environment, and disease risk in later life. To prevent lasting consequences from early-life exposures of air pollution, policy makers should get a basic understanding of biomolecular consequences and transgenerational risks.
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Affiliation(s)
- N. D. Saenen
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - D. S. Martens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - K. Y. Neven
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - R. Alfano
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - H. Bové
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - B. G. Janssen
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - H. A. Roels
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - M. Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - K. Vrijens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - T. S. Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
- Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium
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Cox B, Tsamou M, Vrijens K, Neven KY, Winckelmans E, de Kok TM, Plusquin M, Nawrot TS. A Co-expression Analysis of the Placental Transcriptome in Association With Maternal Pre-pregnancy BMI and Newborn Birth Weight. Front Genet 2019; 10:354. [PMID: 31110514 PMCID: PMC6501552 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 04/02/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal body mass index (BMI) before pregnancy is known to affect both fetal growth and later-life health of the newborn, yet the implicated molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. As the master regulator of the fetal environment, the placenta is a valuable resource for the investigation of processes involved in the developmental programming of metabolic health. We conducted a genome-wide placental transcriptome study aiming at the identification of functional pathways representing the molecular link between maternal BMI and fetal growth. We used RNA microarray (Agilent 8 × 60 K), medical records, and questionnaire data from 183 mother-newborn pairs from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort study (Flanders, Belgium). Using a weighted gene co-expression network analysis, we identified 17 correlated gene modules. Three of these modules were associated with both maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and newborn birth weight. A gene cluster enriched for genes involved in immune response and myeloid cell differentiation was positively associated with maternal BMI and negatively with low birth weight. Two other gene modules, upregulated in association with maternal BMI as well as birth weight, were involved in processes related to organ and tissue development, with blood vessel morphogenesis and extracellular matrix structure as top Gene Ontology terms. In line with this, erythrocyte-, angiogenesis-, and extracellular matrix-related genes were among the identified hub genes. The association between maternal BMI and newborn weight was significantly mediated by gene expression for 5 of the hub genes (FZD4, COL15A1, GPR124, COL6A1, and COL1A1). As some of the identified hub genes have been linked to obesity in adults, our observation in placental tissue suggests that biological processes may be affected from prenatal life onwards, thereby identifying new molecular processes linking maternal BMI and fetal metabolic programming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Cox
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Maria Tsamou
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Karen Vrijens
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Kristof Y Neven
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Ellen Winckelmans
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Theo M de Kok
- Department of Toxicogenomics, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.,Department of Public Health, Environment and Health Unit, Leuven University (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
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Reimann B, Janssen BG, Alfano R, Ghantous A, Espín-Pérez A, de Kok TM, Saenen ND, Cox B, Robinson O, Chadeau-Hyam M, Penders J, Herceg Z, Vineis P, Nawrot TS, Plusquin M. The Cord Blood Insulin and Mitochondrial DNA Content Related Methylome. Front Genet 2019; 10:325. [PMID: 31031804 PMCID: PMC6474284 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2019.00325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Accepted: 03/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Mitochondrial dysfunction seems to play a key role in the etiology of insulin resistance. At birth, a link has already been established between mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content and insulin levels in cord blood. In this study, we explore shared epigenetic mechanisms of the association between mtDNA content and insulin levels, supporting the developmental origins of this link. First, the association between cord blood insulin and mtDNA content in 882 newborns of the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort was assessed. Cord blood mtDNA content was established via qPCR, while cord blood levels of insulin were determined using electrochemiluminescence immunoassays. Then the cord blood DNA methylome and transcriptome were determined in 179 newborns, using the human 450K methylation Illumina and Agilent Whole Human Genome 8 × 60 K microarrays, respectively. Subsequently, we performed an epigenome-wide association study (EWAS) adjusted for different maternal and neonatal variables. Afterward, we focused on the 20 strongest associations based on p-values to assign transcriptomic correlates and allocate corresponding pathways employing the R packages ReactomePA and RDAVIDWebService. On the regional level, we examined differential methylation using the DMRcate and Bumphunter packages in R. Cord blood mtDNA content and insulin were significantly correlated (r = 0.074, p = 0.028), still showing a trend after additional adjustment for maternal and neonatal variables (p = 0.062). We found an overlap of 33 pathways which were in common between the association with cord blood mtDNA content and insulin levels, including pathways of neurodevelopment, histone modification, cytochromes P450 (CYP)-metabolism, and biological aging. We further identified a DMR annotated to Repulsive Guidance Molecule BMP Co-Receptor A (RGMA) linked to cord blood insulin as well as mtDNA content. Metabolic variation in early life represented by neonatal insulin levels and mtDNA content might reflect or accommodate alterations in neurodevelopment, histone modification, CYP-metabolism, and aging, indicating etiological origins in epigenetic programming. Variation in metabolic hormones at birth, reflected by molecular changes, might via these alterations predispose children to metabolic diseases later in life. The results of this study may provide important markers for following targeted studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brigitte Reimann
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, University of Hasselt, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Bram G. Janssen
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, University of Hasselt, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Rossella Alfano
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, University of Hasselt, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Akram Ghantous
- Epigenetics Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Lyon, France
| | - Almudena Espín-Pérez
- Department of Biomedical Informatics Research, Stanford University, California, CA, United States
| | - Theo M. de Kok
- Department of Toxicogenomics, GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Nelly D. Saenen
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, University of Hasselt, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Bianca Cox
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, University of Hasselt, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Oliver Robinson
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Marc Chadeau-Hyam
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Division of Environmental Epidemiology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Joris Penders
- Laboratory of Clinical Biology, East-Limburg Hospital, Genk, Belgium
| | - Zdenko Herceg
- Epigenetics Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Lyon, France
| | - Paolo Vineis
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine (IIGM), Turin, Italy
| | - Tim S. Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, University of Hasselt, Hasselt, Belgium
- School of Public Health, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, University of Hasselt, Hasselt, Belgium
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
- Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
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Espenshade J, Thijs S, Gawronski S, Bové H, Weyens N, Vangronsveld J. Influence of Urbanization on Epiphytic Bacterial Communities of the Platanus × hispanica Tree Leaves in a Biennial Study. Front Microbiol 2019; 10:675. [PMID: 31024477 PMCID: PMC6460055 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2018] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The aerial surfaces of plants harbor diverse communities of microorganisms. The rising awareness concerning the potential roles of these phyllosphere microbiota for airborne pollutant remediation and plant growth promotion, advocates for a better understanding of their community structure and dynamics in urban ecosystems. Here, we characterized the epiphytic microbial communities on leaves of Platanus × hispanica trees in the city centre of Hasselt (Belgium), and the nearby forest area of Bokrijk, Genk (Belgium). We compared the influences of season, site, and air pollutants concentration variations on the tree's phyllosphere microbiome by determining the intra- and inter-individual variation in leaf bacterial communities. High-throughput amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene revealed large variation in the bacterial community structure and diversity throughout the years but also allowed to discriminate an environment effect on community assembly. Partial drivers for this environment effect on composition can be correlated with the huge differences in ultrafine particulate matter (UFP) and black carbon on the leaves. A change in bacterial community composition was noted for trees growing in the city center compared to the natural site, and also more human-associated genera were found colonizing the leaves from the city center. These integrated results offer an original and first insight in the Platanus phyllomicrobiota, which can offer new opportunities to use phyllosphere microorganisms to enhance air pollution degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Espenshade
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Sofie Thijs
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Stanislaw Gawronski
- Faculty of Horticulture, Biotechnology and Landscape Architecture, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Hannelore Bové
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
- Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
- Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nele Weyens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Jaco Vangronsveld
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
- Department of Plant Physiology, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Lublin, Poland
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36
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Alfano R, Guida F, Galobardes B, Chadeau-Hyam M, Delpierre C, Ghantous A, Henderson J, Herceg Z, Jain P, Nawrot TS, Relton C, Vineis P, Castagné R, Plusquin M. Socioeconomic position during pregnancy and DNA methylation signatures at three stages across early life: epigenome-wide association studies in the ALSPAC birth cohort. Int J Epidemiol 2019; 48:30-44. [PMID: 30590607 PMCID: PMC6443021 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyy259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Accepted: 11/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Socioeconomic experiences are recognized determinants of health, and recent work has shown that social disadvantages in early life may induce sustained biological changes at molecular level that are detectable later in life. However, the dynamics and persistence of biological embedding of socioeconomic position (SEP) remains vastly unexplored. METHODS Using the data from the ALSPAC birth cohort, we performed epigenome-wide association studies of DNA methylation changes at three life stages (birth, n = 914; childhood at mean age 7.5 years, n = 973; and adolescence at mean age 15.5 years, n = 974), measured using the Illumina HumanMethylation450 Beadchip, in relation to pregnancy SEP indicators (maternal and paternal education and occupation). RESULTS Across the four early life SEP metrics investigated, only maternal education was associated with methylation levels at birth, and four CpGs mapped to SULF1, GLB1L2 and RPUSD1 genes were identified [false discovery rate (FDR)-corrected P-value <0.05]. No epigenetic signature was found associated with maternal education in child samples, but methylation levels at 20 CpG loci were found significantly associated with maternal education in adolescence. Although no overlap was found between the differentially methylated CpG sites at different ages, we identified two CpG sites at birth and during adolescence which are 219 bp apart in the SULF1 gene that encodes an heparan sulphatase involved in modulation of signalling pathways. Using data from an independent birth cohort, the ENVIRONAGE cohort, we were not able to replicate these findings. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, our results suggest that parental SEP, and particularly maternal education, may influence the offspring's methylome at birth and adolescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rossella Alfano
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Florence Guida
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Bruna Galobardes
- Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Marc Chadeau-Hyam
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Division of Environmental Epidemiology, Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Cyrille Delpierre
- INSERM, UMR1027, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Akram Ghantous
- Epigenetics Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Lyon, France
| | - John Henderson
- Department of Population Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Zdenko Herceg
- Epigenetics Group, International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Lyon, France
| | - Pooja Jain
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London, UK
- NIHR-Health Protection Research Unit, Respiratory Infections and Immunity, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Caroline Relton
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Paolo Vineis
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- IIGM, Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine, Turin, Italy
| | - Raphaële Castagné
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London, UK
- INSERM, UMR1027, Université Toulouse III-Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
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37
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Tsamou M, Martens DS, Cox B, Madhloum N, Vrijens K, Nawrot TS. Sex-specific associations between telomere length and candidate miRNA expression in placenta. J Transl Med 2018; 16:254. [PMID: 30208911 PMCID: PMC6134555 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-018-1627-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Accepted: 09/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the early-life environment, proper development of the placenta is essential for both fetal and maternal health. Telomere length at birth has been related to life expectancy. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) as potential epigenetic determinants of telomere length at birth have not been identified. In this study, we investigate whether placental miRNA expression is associated with placental telomere length at birth. METHODS We measured the expression of seven candidate miRNAs (miR-16-5p, -20a-5p, -21-5p, -34a-5p, 146a-5p, -210-3p and -222-3p) in placental tissue at birth in 203 mother-newborn (51.7% girls) pairs from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort. We selected miRNAs known to be involved in crucial cellular processes such as inflammation, oxidative stress, cellular senescence related to aging. Placental miRNA expression and relative average placental telomere length were measured using RT-qPCR. RESULTS Both before and after adjustment for potential covariates including newborn's ethnicity, gestational age, paternal age, maternal smoking status, maternal educational status, parity, date of delivery and outdoor temperature during the 3rd trimester of pregnancy, placental miR-34a, miR-146a, miR-210 and miR-222 expression were significantly (p ≤ 0.03) and positively associated with placental relative telomere length in newborn girls. In newborn boys, only higher expression of placental miR-21 was weakly (p = 0.08) associated with shorter placental telomere length. Significant miRNAs explain around 6-8% of the telomere length variance at birth. CONCLUSIONS Placental miR-21, miR-34a, miR-146a, miR-210 and miR-222 exhibit sex-specific associations with telomere length in placenta. Our results indicate miRNA expression in placental tissue could be an important determinant in the process of aging starting from early life onwards.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Tsamou
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Dries S Martens
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Bianca Cox
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Narjes Madhloum
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Karen Vrijens
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium.
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium.,Environment & Health Unit, Department of Public Health, Leuven University (KU Leuven), 3000, Louvain, Belgium
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38
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Espín-Pérez A, Portier C, Chadeau-Hyam M, van Veldhoven K, Kleinjans JCS, de Kok TMCM. Comparison of statistical methods and the use of quality control samples for batch effect correction in human transcriptome data. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0202947. [PMID: 30161168 PMCID: PMC6117018 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/13/2018] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Batch effects are technical sources of variation introduced by the necessity of conducting gene expression analyses on different dates due to the large number of biological samples in population-based studies. The aim of this study is to evaluate the performances of linear mixed models (LMM) and Combat in batch effect removal. We also assessed the utility of adding quality control samples in the study design as technical replicates. In order to do so, we simulated gene expression data by adding “treatment” and batch effects to a real gene expression dataset. The performances of LMM and Combat, with and without quality control samples, are assessed in terms of sensitivity and specificity while correcting for the batch effect using a wide range of effect sizes, statistical noise, sample sizes and level of balanced/unbalanced designs. The simulations showed small differences among LMM and Combat. LMM identifies stronger relationships between big effect sizes and gene expression than Combat, while Combat identifies in general more true and false positives than LMM. However, these small differences can still be relevant depending on the research goal. When any of these methods are applied, quality control samples did not reduce the batch effect, showing no added value for including them in the study design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Almudena Espín-Pérez
- Department of Toxicogenomics, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- * E-mail:
| | - Chris Portier
- Department of Toxicogenomics, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Marc Chadeau-Hyam
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Karin van Veldhoven
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Jos C. S. Kleinjans
- Department of Toxicogenomics, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Theo M. C. M. de Kok
- Department of Toxicogenomics, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
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39
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Plusquin M, Chadeau-Hyam M, Ghantous A, Alfano R, Bustamante M, Chatzi L, Cuenin C, Gulliver J, Herceg Z, Kogevinas M, Nawrot TS, Pizzi C, Porta D, Relton CL, Richiardi L, Robinson O, Sunyer J, Vermeulen R, Vriens A, Vrijheid M, Henderson J, Vineis P. DNA Methylome Marks of Exposure to Particulate Matter at Three Time Points in Early Life. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2018; 52:5427-5437. [PMID: 29597345 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.7b06447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Maternal exposure to airborne particulate matter (PM) has been associated with restricted fetal growth and reduced birthweight. Here, we performed methylome-wide analyses of cord and children's blood DNA in relation to residential exposure to PM smaller than 10 μm (PM10). This study included participants of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood (ALSPAC, cord blood, n = 780; blood at age 7, n = 757 and age 15-17, n = 850) and the EXPOsOMICS birth cohort consortium including cord blood from ENVIR ONAGE ( n = 197), INMA ( n = 84), Piccolipiù ( n = 99) and Rhea ( n = 75). We could not identify significant CpG sites, by meta-analyzing associations between maternal PM10 exposure during pregnancy and DNA methylation in cord blood, nor by studying DNA methylation and concordant annual exposure at 7 and 15-17 years. The CpG cg21785536 was inversely associated with PM10 exposure using a longitudinal model integrating the three studied age groups (-1.2% per 10 μg/m3; raw p-value = 3.82 × 10-8). Pathway analyses on the corresponding genes of the 100 strongest associated CpG sites of the longitudinal model revealed enriched pathways relating to the GABAergic synapse, p53 signaling and NOTCH1. We provided evidence that residential PM10 exposure in early life affects methylation of the CpG cg21785536 located on the EGF Domain Specific O-Linked N-Acetylglucosamine Transferase gene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences , Hasselt University , Hasselt , Belgium
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health , Imperial College London , London , United Kingdom
- Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health , Imperial College London , London , United Kingdom
| | - Marc Chadeau-Hyam
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health , Imperial College London , London , United Kingdom
- Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health , Imperial College London , London , United Kingdom
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Division of Environmental Epidemiology , Utrecht University , Utrecht , The Netherlands
| | - Akram Ghantous
- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) , 150 Cours Albert-Thomas , 69008 Lyon , France
| | - Rossella Alfano
- Centre for Environmental Sciences , Hasselt University , Hasselt , Belgium
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health , Imperial College London , London , United Kingdom
- Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health , Imperial College London , London , United Kingdom
| | - Mariona Bustamante
- Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology , Barcelona , Spain
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP) , Madrid , Spain
- ISGlobal, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) , Barcelona , Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) , Barcelona, Catalonia , Spain
| | - Leda Chatzi
- Department of Preventive Medicine , University of Southern California , Los Angeles , California 90007 , United States
- Department of Social Medicine , University of Crete , Heraklion, Crete , Greece
| | - Cyrille Cuenin
- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) , 150 Cours Albert-Thomas , 69008 Lyon , France
| | - John Gulliver
- Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health , Imperial College London , London , United Kingdom
| | - Zdenko Herceg
- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) , 150 Cours Albert-Thomas , 69008 Lyon , France
| | - Manolis Kogevinas
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP) , Madrid , Spain
- ISGlobal, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) , Barcelona , Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) , Barcelona, Catalonia , Spain
- IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute) , Barcelona , Spain
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences , Hasselt University , Hasselt , Belgium
- Environment & Health Unit Leuven University , Leuven , Belgium
| | - Costanza Pizzi
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit-CERMS, Department of Medical Sciences , University of Turin and CPO-Piemonte , Torino , Italy
| | - Daniela Porta
- Department of Epidemiology of the Lazio Regional Health Service , Rome , Italy
| | - Caroline L Relton
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Department of Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School , University of Bristol , Bristol , U.K
| | - Lorenzo Richiardi
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit-CERMS, Department of Medical Sciences , University of Turin and CPO-Piemonte , Torino , Italy
| | - Oliver Robinson
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health , Imperial College London , London , United Kingdom
- Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health , Imperial College London , London , United Kingdom
| | - Jordi Sunyer
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP) , Madrid , Spain
- ISGlobal, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) , Barcelona , Spain
- IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute) , Barcelona , Spain
| | - Roel Vermeulen
- Medical Research Council-Health Protection Agency Centre for Environment and Health , Imperial College London , London , United Kingdom
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences (IRAS), Division of Environmental Epidemiology , Utrecht University , Utrecht , The Netherlands
| | - Annette Vriens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences , Hasselt University , Hasselt , Belgium
| | - Martine Vrijheid
- Consortium for Biomedical Research in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP) , Madrid , Spain
- ISGlobal, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) , Barcelona , Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) , Barcelona, Catalonia , Spain
| | - John Henderson
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Bristol Medical School , University of Bristol , Bristol , U.K
| | - Paolo Vineis
- Centre for Environmental Sciences , Hasselt University , Hasselt , Belgium
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, The School of Public Health , Imperial College London , London , United Kingdom
- IIGM, Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine , Turin , Italy
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Robinson O, Keski-Rahkonen P, Chatzi L, Kogevinas M, Nawrot T, Pizzi C, Plusquin M, Richiardi L, Robinot N, Sunyer J, Vermeulen R, Vrijheid M, Vineis P, Scalbert A, Chadeau-Hyam M. Cord Blood Metabolic Signatures of Birth Weight: A Population-Based Study. J Proteome Res 2018; 17:1235-1247. [PMID: 29401400 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jproteome.7b00846] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Birth weight is an important indicator of maternal and fetal health and a predictor of health in later life. However, the determinants of variance in birth weight are still poorly understood. We aimed to identify the biological pathways, which may be perturbed by environmental exposures, that are important in determining birth weight. We applied untargeted mass-spectrometry-based metabolomics to 481 cord blood samples collected at delivery in four birth cohorts from across Europe: ENVIRONAGE (Belgium), INMA (Spain), Piccolipiu (Italy), and Rhea (Greece). We performed a metabolome-wide association scan for birth weight on over 4000 metabolic features, controlling the false discovery rate at 5%. Annotation of compounds was conducted through reference to authentic standards. We identified 68 metabolites significantly associated with birth weight, including vitamin A, progesterone, docosahexaenoic acid, indolelactic acid, and multiple acylcarnitines and phosphatidylcholines. We observed enrichment (p < 0.05) of the tryptophan metabolism, prostaglandin formation, C21-steroid hormone signaling, carnitine shuttle, and glycerophospholipid metabolism pathways. Vitamin A was associated with both maternal smoking and birth weight, suggesting a mediation pathway. Our findings shed new light on the pathways central to fetal growth and will have implications for antenatal and perinatal care and potentially for health in later life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver Robinson
- MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London , St. Mary's Campus, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, United Kingdom
| | - Pekka Keski-Rahkonen
- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) , 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69372 Lyon, France
| | - Leda Chatzi
- Department of Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Crete , Voutes University Campus, Heraklion, Crete, GR-70013, Greece
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of South California , Soto Street Building 2001 N Soto Street, Suite 201-D, Los Angeles, California 90032-3628, United States
- Department of Genetics & Cell Biology, Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University , Universiteitssingel 40, 6229 Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Manolis Kogevinas
- ISGlobal, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) , PRBB, C/ Doctor Aiguader, 88, 08003, Barcelona Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) , Plaça de la Mercè, 10, Barcelona 08002, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP) , PRBB, C/ Doctor Aiguader, 88, E-08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Tim Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University , Campus Diepenbeek, Agoralaan building D, BE3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
- Department of Public Health & Primary Care, Leuven University , Oude Markt 13, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Costanza Pizzi
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin and CPO-Piemonte , C.So, Dogliotti, 14, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University , Campus Diepenbeek, Agoralaan building D, BE3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
- Department of Public Health & Primary Care, Leuven University , Oude Markt 13, B-3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Lorenzo Richiardi
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin and CPO-Piemonte , C.So, Dogliotti, 14, 10126 Turin, Italy
| | - Nivonirina Robinot
- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) , 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69372 Lyon, France
| | - Jordi Sunyer
- ISGlobal, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) , PRBB, C/ Doctor Aiguader, 88, 08003, Barcelona Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) , Plaça de la Mercè, 10, Barcelona 08002, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP) , PRBB, C/ Doctor Aiguader, 88, E-08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roel Vermeulen
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Environmental Epidemiology Division, Utrecht University , POB 80178, Utrecht NL-3508, The Netherlands
| | - Martine Vrijheid
- ISGlobal, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology (CREAL) , PRBB, C/ Doctor Aiguader, 88, 08003, Barcelona Spain
- Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF) , Plaça de la Mercè, 10, Barcelona 08002, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP) , PRBB, C/ Doctor Aiguader, 88, E-08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Paolo Vineis
- MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London , St. Mary's Campus, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, United Kingdom
| | - Augustin Scalbert
- International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) , 150 Cours Albert Thomas, 69372 Lyon, France
| | - Marc Chadeau-Hyam
- MRC-PHE Centre for Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Imperial College London , St. Mary's Campus, Norfolk Place, London W2 1PG, United Kingdom
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41
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Placental hypoxia-regulating network in relation to birth weight and ponderal index: the ENVIRONAGE Birth Cohort Study. J Transl Med 2018; 16:2. [PMID: 29316938 PMCID: PMC5761191 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-017-1375-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/28/2017] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND HIF1α, miR-210 and its downstream targets ISCU, COX-10, RAD52 and PTEN are all part of the placental hypoxia-responsive network. Tight regulation of this network is required to prevent development of maternal-fetal complications such as fetal growth restriction. HIF1α expression is increased in preeclamptic placentae, but little is known about its association with birth weight in normal pregnancies. METHODS We measured placental levels of HIF1α, miR-20a, miR-210, ISCU, COX-10, RAD52 and PTEN in 206 mother-newborn pairs of the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort. RESULTS Placental HIF1α gene expression was inversely associated with the ponderal index (PI): for a doubling in placental HIF1α expression, PI decreased by 6.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3 to 12.0%, p = 0.01). Placental RAD52 expression also displayed an inverse association with PI, a doubling in gene expression was associated with a 6.2% (CI 0.2 to 12.1% p = 0.04) decrease in PI. As for birth weight, we observed a significant association with placental miR-20a expression only in boys, where a doubling in miR-20a expression is associated with a 54.2 g (CI 0.6 to 108 g, p = 0.05) increase in birth weight. CONCLUSIONS The decrease in fetal growth associated with expression of hypoxia-network members HIF1a, RAD52 and miR-20a indicates that this network is important in potential intrauterine insults.
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42
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Preston G, Plusquin M, Sozeri O, van Veldhoven K, Bastian L, Nawrot TS, Chadeau-Hyam M, Phillips DH. Refinement of a Methodology for Untargeted Detection of Serum Albumin Adducts in Human Populations. Chem Res Toxicol 2017; 30:2120-2129. [PMID: 29092396 PMCID: PMC5736992 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrestox.7b00186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Covalently modified blood proteins (e.g., serum albumin adducts) are increasingly being viewed as potential biomarkers via which the environmental causes of human diseases may be understood. The notion that some (perhaps many) modifications have yet to be discovered has led to the development of untargeted adductomics methods, which attempt to capture entire populations of adducts. One such method is fixed-step selected reaction monitoring (FS-SRM), which analyses distributions of serum albumin adducts via shifts in the mass of a tryptic peptide [Li et al. (2011) Mol. Cell. Proteomics 10, M110.004606]. Working on the basis that FS-SRM might be able to detect biological variation due to environmental factors, we aimed to scale the methodology for use in an epidemiological setting. Development of sample preparation methods led to a batch workflow with increased throughput and provision for quality control. Challenges posed by technical and biological variation were addressed in the processing and interpretation of the data. A pilot study of 20 smokers and 20 never-smokers provided evidence of an effect of smoking on levels of putative serum albumin adducts. Differences between smokers and never-smokers were most apparent in putative adducts with net gains in mass between 105 and 114 Da (relative to unmodified albumin). The findings suggest that our implementation of FS-SRM could be useful for studying other environmental factors with relevance to human health.
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Affiliation(s)
- George
W. Preston
- MRC-PHE
Centre for Environment and Health, Department of Analytical, Environmental,
and Forensic Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, United Kingdom
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- MRC-PHE
Centre for Environment and Health, Department of Epidemiology and
Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W2 1PG, United Kingdom
- Centre
for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, 3590 Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Osman Sozeri
- MRC-PHE
Centre for Environment and Health, Department of Analytical, Environmental,
and Forensic Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, United Kingdom
| | - Karin van Veldhoven
- MRC-PHE
Centre for Environment and Health, Department of Epidemiology and
Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W2 1PG, United Kingdom
| | - Lilian Bastian
- MRC-PHE
Centre for Environment and Health, Department of Analytical, Environmental,
and Forensic Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, United Kingdom
| | - Tim S. Nawrot
- Centre
for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, 3590 Hasselt, Belgium
- Environment
and Health Unit, Leuven University, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marc Chadeau-Hyam
- MRC-PHE
Centre for Environment and Health, Department of Epidemiology and
Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W2 1PG, United Kingdom
| | - David H. Phillips
- MRC-PHE
Centre for Environment and Health, Department of Analytical, Environmental,
and Forensic Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH, United Kingdom
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43
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Martens DS, Cox B, Janssen BG, Clemente DBP, Gasparrini A, Vanpoucke C, Lefebvre W, Roels HA, Plusquin M, Nawrot TS. Prenatal Air Pollution and Newborns' Predisposition to Accelerated Biological Aging. JAMA Pediatr 2017; 171:1160-1167. [PMID: 29049509 PMCID: PMC6233867 DOI: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2017.3024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 173] [Impact Index Per Article: 24.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Telomere length is a marker of biological aging that may provide a cellular memory of exposures to oxidative stress and inflammation. Telomere length at birth has been related to life expectancy. An association between prenatal air pollution exposure and telomere length at birth could provide new insights in the environmental influence on molecular longevity. OBJECTIVE To assess the association of prenatal exposure to particulate matter (PM) with newborn telomere length as reflected by cord blood and placental telomere length. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In a prospective birth cohort (ENVIRONAGE [Environmental Influence on Ageing in Early Life]), a total of 730 mother-newborn pairs were recruited in Flanders, Belgium between February 2010 and December 2014, all with a singleton full-term birth (≥37 weeks of gestation). For statistical analysis, participants with full data on both cord blood and placental telomere lengths were included, resulting in a final study sample size of 641. EXPOSURES Maternal residential PM2.5 (particles with an aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 μm) exposure during pregnancy. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES In the newborns, cord blood and placental tissue relative telomere length were measured. Maternal residential PM2.5 exposure during pregnancy was estimated using a high-resolution spatial-temporal interpolation method. In distributed lag models, both cord blood and placental telomere length were associated with average weekly exposures to PM2.5 during pregnancy, allowing the identification of critical sensitive exposure windows. RESULTS In 641 newborns, cord blood and placental telomere length were significantly and inversely associated with PM2.5 exposure during midgestation (weeks 12-25 for cord blood and weeks 15-27 for placenta). A 5-µg/m3 increment in PM2.5 exposure during the entire pregnancy was associated with 8.8% (95% CI, -14.1% to -3.1%) shorter cord blood leukocyte telomeres and 13.2% (95% CI, -19.3% to -6.7%) shorter placental telomere length. These associations were controlled for date of delivery, gestational age, maternal body mass index, maternal age, paternal age, newborn sex, newborn ethnicity, season of delivery, parity, maternal smoking status, maternal educational level, pregnancy complications, and ambient temperature. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Mothers who were exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 gave birth to newborns with shorter telomere length. The observed telomere loss in newborns by prenatal air pollution exposure indicates less buffer for postnatal influences of factors decreasing telomere length during life. Therefore, improvements in air quality may promote molecular longevity from birth onward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dries S Martens
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Bianca Cox
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Bram G Janssen
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Diana B P Clemente
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.,Instituto de Salud Global, Centre for Research in Environmental Epidemiology, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Antonio Gasparrini
- Department of Social and Environmental Health Research, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), London, England.,Department of Medical Statistics, LSHTM, London, England
| | | | | | - Harry A Roels
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.,Louvain Centre for Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Michelle Plusquin
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.,Department of Public Health & Primary Care, Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium
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Tsamou M, Martens DS, Winckelmans E, Madhloum N, Cox B, Gyselaers W, Nawrot TS, Vrijens K. Mother's Pre-pregnancy BMI and Placental Candidate miRNAs: Findings from the ENVIRONAGE Birth Cohort. Sci Rep 2017; 7:5548. [PMID: 28717128 PMCID: PMC5514037 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-04026-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2017] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
There is increasing evidence that the predisposition for development of chronic diseases arises at the earliest times of life. In this context, maternal pre-pregnancy weight might modify fetal metabolism and the child’s predisposition to develop disease later in life. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and miRNA alterations in placental tissue at birth. In 211 mother-newborn pairs from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort, we assessed placental expression of seven miRNAs important in crucial cellular processes implicated in adipogenesis and/or obesity. Multiple linear regression models were used to address the associations between pre-pregnancy BMI and placental candidate miRNA expression. Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI averaged (±SD) 23.9 (±4.1) kg/m2. In newborn girls (not in boys) placental miR-20a, miR-34a and miR-222 expression was lower with higher maternal pre-pregnancy BMI. In addition, the association between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and placental expression of these miRNAs in girls was modified by gestational weight gain. The lower expression of these miRNAs in placenta in association with pre-pregnancy BMI, was only evident in mothers with low weight gain (<14 kg). The placental expression of miR-20a, miR-34a, miR-146a, miR-210 and miR-222 may provide a sex-specific basis for epigenetic effects of pre-pregnancy BMI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Tsamou
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Dries S Martens
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Ellen Winckelmans
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Narjes Madhloum
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Bianca Cox
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | | | - Tim S Nawrot
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium. .,Department of Public Health, Environment & Health Unit, Leuven University (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Karen Vrijens
- Center for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
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Janssen BG, Byun HM, Roels HA, Gyselaers W, Penders J, Baccarelli AA, Nawrot TS. Regulating role of fetal thyroid hormones on placental mitochondrial DNA methylation: epidemiological evidence from the ENVIR ONAGE birth cohort study. Clin Epigenetics 2017. [PMID: 28649287 PMCID: PMC5479026 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-017-0366-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fetal development largely depends on thyroid hormone availability and proper placental function with an important role played by placental mitochondria. The biological mechanisms by which thyroid hormones exert their effects on mitochondrial function are not well understood. We investigated the role of fetal thyroid hormones on placental mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content and mtDNA methylation. We collected placental tissue and cord blood from 305 mother-child pairs that were enrolled between February 2010 and June 2014 in the ENVIRONAGE (ENVIRonmental influence ON early AGEing) birth cohort (province of Limburg, Belgium). Placental mtDNA content was determined by qPCR and placental mtDNA methylation by bisulfite-pyrosequencing in two regions, i.e., the D-loop control region and 12S ribosomal RNA (MT-RNR1). The levels of free thyroid hormones (FT3, FT4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured in cord blood. RESULTS Cord blood FT3 and FT4 were inversely associated with placental mtDNA methylation at the MT-RNR1 (p ≤ 0.01) and D-loop (p ≤ 0.05) regions, whereas a positive association was observed for both hormones with placental mtDNA content (p ≤ 0.04). Assuming causality, we estimated that MT-RNR1 and D-loop methylation mediated, respectively, 77% [indirect effect +14.61% (95% CI 2.64 to 27.98%, p = 0.01)] and 47% [indirect effect +8.60% (95% CI 1.23 to 16.50%, p = 0.02] of the positive association between FT3 and placental mtDNA content. Mediation models with FT4 gave similar results but the estimated effect proportions were smaller compared with those of FT3 (54% and 24%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS We showed that epigenetic modification at specific loci of the mitochondrial genome could intervene with the thyroid-dependent regulation of mitochondrial DNA copy numbers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bram G Janssen
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Hyang-Min Byun
- Human Nutrition Research Centre, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE4 5PL UK
| | - Harry A Roels
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Louvain Centre for Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology (LTAP), Université catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Wilfried Gyselaers
- Department of Obstetrics, East-Limburg Hospital, Genk, 3600 Belgium.,Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, 3590 Belgium
| | - Joris Penders
- Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, 3590 Belgium.,Laboratory of Clinical Biology, East-Limburg Hospital, Genk, 3600 Belgium
| | - Andrea A Baccarelli
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building D, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.,Department of Public Health & Primary Care, Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Leuven University, Leuven, Belgium
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46
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Janssen BG, Gyselaers W, Byun HM, Roels HA, Cuypers A, Baccarelli AA, Nawrot TS. Placental mitochondrial DNA and CYP1A1 gene methylation as molecular signatures for tobacco smoke exposure in pregnant women and the relevance for birth weight. J Transl Med 2017; 15:5. [PMID: 28052772 PMCID: PMC5209876 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-016-1113-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Accepted: 12/18/2016] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Maternal smoking during pregnancy results in an increased risk of low birth weight through perturbations in the utero-placental exchange. Epigenetics and mitochondrial function in fetal tissues might be molecular signatures responsive to in utero tobacco smoke exposure. METHODS In the framework of the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort, we investigated the effect of self-reported tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy on birth weight and the relation with placental tissue markers such as, (1) relative mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) content as determined by real-time quantitative PCR, (2) DNA methylation of specific loci of mtDNA (D-loop and MT-RNR1), and (3) DNA methylation of the biotransformation gene CYP1A1 (the last two determined by bisulfite-pyrosequencing). The total pregnant mother sample included 255 non-smokers, 65 former-smokers who had quit smoking before pregnancy, and 62 smokers who continued smoking during pregnancy. RESULTS Smokers delivered newborns with a birth weight on average 208 g lower [95% confidence interval (CI) -318 to -99, p = 0.0002] than mothers who did not smoke during pregnancy. In the smoker group, the relative mtDNA content was lower (-21.6%, 95% CI -35.4 to -4.9%, p = 0.01) than in the non-smoker group; whereas, absolute mtDNA methylation levels of MT-RNR1 were higher (+0.62%, 95% CI 0.21 to 1.02%, p = 0.003). Lower CpG-specific methylation of CYP1A1 in placental tissue (-4.57%, 95% CI -7.15 to -1.98%, p < 0.0001) were observed in smokers compared with non-smokers. Nevertheless, no mediation of CYP1A1 methylation nor any other investigated molecular signature was observed for the association between tobacco smoke exposure and birth weight. CONCLUSIONS mtDNA content, methylation of specific loci of mtDNA, and CYP1A1 methylation in placental tissue may serve as molecular signatures for the association between gestational tobacco smoke exposure and low birth weight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bram G Janssen
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Wilfried Gyselaers
- Department of Obstetrics, East-Limburg Hospital, Genk, Belgium.,Department of Physiology, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Hyang-Min Byun
- Laboratory of Environmental Epigenetics, Exposure Epidemiology and Risk Program, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Harry A Roels
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium.,Louvain Centre for Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology (LTAP), Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ann Cuypers
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - Andrea A Baccarelli
- Laboratory of Environmental Epigenetics, Exposure Epidemiology and Risk Program, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.,Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Tim S Nawrot
- Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Hasselt, Belgium. .,Department of Public Health & Primary Care, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Leuven University, Louvain, Belgium. .,Centre for Environmental Sciences, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Gebouw D, 3590, Diepenbeek, Belgium.
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