Does early n-3 fatty acid exposure alter DNA methylation in the developing human immune system?
Does early n-3 fatty acid exposure alter DNA methylation in the developing human immune system?
Long-lasting effects of n-3 fatty acids on the immune cells involved in allergic disease may be due to epigenetic alterations. Pregnant women consumed the n-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 400 mg/day) or placebo from mid-gestation until delivery, and the methylation status of CpG loci within the promoter regions of several genes involved in immune function was measured in umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMCs) using pyrosequencing. There was no significant effect of DHA supplementation in pregnancy on methylation within the promoter regions of any of the cytokine or transcription factor genes measured in CBMCs. Methylation of the promoter region of the genome stabilizer LINE-1 was higher in CBMCs from infants of mothers who smoked in the DHA group compared with those in the placebo group, although this effect was lost following statistical correction for confounders, but did not differ between nonsmoking women in the two groups. Several factors limit interpretation of the findings. It remains unknown whether there is a role for epigenetic alterations as a mechanism for long-lasting immune and clinical effects of very early n-3 fatty acid exposure.
505-508
Burdge, Graham C.
09d60a07-8ca1-4351-9bf1-de6ffcfb2159
Calder, P.C.
1797e54f-378e-4dcb-80a4-3e30018f07a6
October 2013
Burdge, Graham C.
09d60a07-8ca1-4351-9bf1-de6ffcfb2159
Calder, P.C.
1797e54f-378e-4dcb-80a4-3e30018f07a6
Burdge, Graham C. and Calder, P.C.
(2013)
Does early n-3 fatty acid exposure alter DNA methylation in the developing human immune system?
Clinical Lipidology, 8 (5), .
(doi:10.2217/clp.13.53).
Abstract
Long-lasting effects of n-3 fatty acids on the immune cells involved in allergic disease may be due to epigenetic alterations. Pregnant women consumed the n-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; 400 mg/day) or placebo from mid-gestation until delivery, and the methylation status of CpG loci within the promoter regions of several genes involved in immune function was measured in umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMCs) using pyrosequencing. There was no significant effect of DHA supplementation in pregnancy on methylation within the promoter regions of any of the cytokine or transcription factor genes measured in CBMCs. Methylation of the promoter region of the genome stabilizer LINE-1 was higher in CBMCs from infants of mothers who smoked in the DHA group compared with those in the placebo group, although this effect was lost following statistical correction for confounders, but did not differ between nonsmoking women in the two groups. Several factors limit interpretation of the findings. It remains unknown whether there is a role for epigenetic alterations as a mechanism for long-lasting immune and clinical effects of very early n-3 fatty acid exposure.
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Published date: October 2013
Organisations:
Human Development & Health
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Local EPrints ID: 359030
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/359030
ISSN: 1758-4299
PURE UUID: c7103db8-ba4d-40c4-9f8b-58582b63ab1c
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Date deposited: 18 Oct 2013 13:50
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 02:50
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