1. Residential green space in association with the methylation status in a CpG site within the promoter region of the placental serotonin receptor HTR2A
- Author
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Yinthe Dockx, Esmée Bijnens, Nelly Saenen, Raf Aerts, Jean-Marie Aerts, Lidia Casas, Andy Delcloo, Nicolas Dendoncker, Catherine Linard, Michelle Plusquin, Michiel Stas, an Van Nieuwenhuyse, Jos Van Orshoven, Ben Somers, Tim Nawrot, Department of Environmental Sciences, and RS-Research Program Learning and Innovation for Resilient Social-Ecological Systems (LIRSS)
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Green space ,HTR2A ,Chemistry ,Cancer Research ,DNA methylation ,placenta ,Human medicine ,Biology ,Molecular Biology ,epigenetic ,serotonin - Abstract
Green space could influence adult cognition and childhood neurodevelopment , and is hypothesized to be partly driven by epigenetic modifications. However, it remains unknown whether some of these associations are already evident during foetal development. Similar biological signals shape the developmental processes in the foetal brain and placenta.Therefore, we hypothesize that green space can modify epigenetic processes of cognition-related pathways in placental tissue, such as DNA-methylation of the serotonin receptor HTR2A. HTR2A-methylation was determined within 327 placentas from the ENVIRONAGE (ENVIRonmental influence ON early AGEing) birth cohort using bisulphite-PCR-pyrosequencing. Total green space exposure was calculated using high-resolution land cover data derived from the Green Map of Flanders in seven buffers (50 m-3 km) and stratified into low (a priori chosen covariables. For an IQR increment in total green space within a 1,000 m, 2,000 m and 3,000 m buffer the methylation of HTR2A increased with 1.47% (95%CI:0.17;2.78), 1.52% (95%CI:0.21;2.83) and 1.42% (95%CI:0.15;2.69), respectively. Additionally,, we found 3.00% (95%CI:1.09;4.91) and 1.98% (95%CI:0.28;3.68) higher HTR2A-methylation when comparing residences with and without the presence of nature in a 50 m and 100 m buffer, respectively. The methylation status of HTR2A in placental tissue is positively associated with maternal green space exposure. Future research is needed to understand better how these epigenetic changes are related to functional modifications in the placenta and the consequent implications for foetal development.
- Published
- 2022
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