Environment International (Apr 2024)

Translational toxicoepigenetic Meta-Analyses identify homologous gene DNA methylation reprogramming following developmental phthalate and lead exposure in mouse and human offspring

  • Rebekah L. Petroff,
  • Dana C. Dolinoy,
  • Kai Wang,
  • Luke Montrose,
  • Vasantha Padmanabhan,
  • Karen E. Peterson,
  • Douglas M. Ruden,
  • Maureen A. Sartor,
  • Laurie K. Svoboda,
  • Martha M. Téllez-Rojo,
  • Jaclyn M. Goodrich

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 186
p. 108575

Abstract

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Although toxicology uses animal models to represent real-world human health scenarios, a critical translational gap between laboratory-based studies and epidemiology remains. In this study, we aimed to understand the toxicoepigenetic effects on DNA methylation after developmental exposure to two common toxicants, the phthalate di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) and the metal lead (Pb), using a translational paradigm that selected candidate genes from a mouse study and assessed them in four human birth cohorts. Data from mouse offspring developmentally exposed to DEHP, Pb, or control were used to identify genes with sex-specific sites with differential DNA methylation at postnatal day 21. Associations of human infant DNA methylation in homologous mouse genes with prenatal DEHP or Pb were examined with a meta-analysis. Differential methylation was observed on 6 cytosines (adjusted-p < 0.05) and 90 regions (adjusted-p < 0.001). This translational approach offers a unique method that can detect conserved epigenetic differences that are developmentally susceptible to environmental toxicants.

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