Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology (May 2023)

DNA methylation dynamics during pregnancy

  • Delphine Fradin,
  • Jorg Tost,
  • Florence Busato,
  • Clémence Mille,
  • Fanny Lachaux,
  • Jean-François Deleuze,
  • Gisèle Apter,
  • Alexandra Benachi

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2023.1185311
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 11

Abstract

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Pregnancy is a state of multiple physiological adaptations. Since methylation of DNA is an epigenetic mechanism that regulates gene expression and contributes to adaptive phenotypic variations, we investigated methylation changes in maternal blood of a longitudinal cohort of pregnant women from the first trimester of gestation to the third. Interestingly, during pregnancy, we found a gain of methylation in genes involved in morphogenesis, such as ezrin, while we identified a loss of methylation in genes promoting maternal-infant bonding (AVP and PPP1R1B). Together, our results provide insights into the biological mechanisms underlying physiological adaptations during pregnancy.

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