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Malaspina D. What social determinants can tell us about schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2022:S0920-9964(22)00400-5. [PMID: 36528441 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2022.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 10/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Dolores Malaspina
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States.
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2
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Zhang C, Yan L, Qiao J. Effect of advanced parental age on pregnancy outcome and offspring health. J Assist Reprod Genet 2022; 39:1969-1986. [PMID: 35925538 PMCID: PMC9474958 DOI: 10.1007/s10815-022-02533-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/16/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Fertility at advanced age has become increasingly common, but the aging of parents may adversely affect the maturation of gametes and the development of embryos, and therefore the effects of aging are likely to be transmitted to the next generation. This article reviewed the studies in this field in recent years. METHODS We searched the relevant literature in recent years with the keywords of "advanced maternal/paternal age" combined with "adverse pregnancy outcome" or "birth defect" in the PubMed database and classified the effects of parental advanced age on pregnancy outcomes and birth defects. Related studies on the effect of advanced age on birth defects were classified as chromosomal abnormalities, neurological and psychiatric disorders, and other systemic diseases. The effect of assisted reproduction technology (ART) on fertility in advanced age was also discussed. RESULTS Differences in the definition of the range of advanced age and other confounding factors among studies were excluded, most studies believed that advanced parental age would affect pregnancy outcomes and birth defects in offspring. CONCLUSION To some extent, advanced parental age caused adverse pregnancy outcomes and birth defects. The occurrence of these results was related to the molecular genetic changes caused by aging, such as gene mutations, epigenetic variations, etc. Any etiology of adverse pregnancy outcomes and birth defects related to aging might be more than one. The detrimental effect of advanced age can be corrected to some extent by ART.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cong Zhang
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University Third Hospital, No. 49, North garden road, Haidian district, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology (Peking University Third Hospital), Beijing, 100191, China
- Key Laboratory of Assisted Reproduction (Peking University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100191, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology and Assisted Reproductive Technology, Beijing, 100191, China
- Research Units of Comprehensive Diagnosis and Treatment of Oocyte Maturation Arrest (Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences), Beijing, 100191, China
- Savid Medical College (University of Chinese Academy of Sciences), Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Liying Yan
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University Third Hospital, No. 49, North garden road, Haidian district, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology (Peking University Third Hospital), Beijing, 100191, China
- Key Laboratory of Assisted Reproduction (Peking University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100191, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology and Assisted Reproductive Technology, Beijing, 100191, China
- Research Units of Comprehensive Diagnosis and Treatment of Oocyte Maturation Arrest (Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences), Beijing, 100191, China
| | - Jie Qiao
- Center for Reproductive Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Peking University Third Hospital, No. 49, North garden road, Haidian district, Beijing, 100191, People's Republic of China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Obstetrics and Gynecology (Peking University Third Hospital), Beijing, 100191, China.
- Key Laboratory of Assisted Reproduction (Peking University), Ministry of Education, Beijing, 100191, China.
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Reproductive Endocrinology and Assisted Reproductive Technology, Beijing, 100191, China.
- Research Units of Comprehensive Diagnosis and Treatment of Oocyte Maturation Arrest (Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences), Beijing, 100191, China.
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3
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Tanaka M, Sato A, Kotajima-Murakami H, Kashii H, Hagino Y, Ide S, Ikeda K. Interaction between social behavior and paternal age in offspring of the same paternal mice. Neuropsychopharmacol Rep 2022; 42:343-346. [PMID: 35587235 PMCID: PMC9515711 DOI: 10.1002/npr2.12258] [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: 06/10/2021] [Revised: 04/21/2022] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM Previous studies reported that advanced paternal age (APA) may increase the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in offspring. However, effects of APA on behaviors have not been investigated in offspring of the same paternal mice. The present study sought to identify behavioral differences in mouse offspring of the same fathers at different paternal ages. METHODS We assessed locomotor activity, anxiety-like behavior, and social behavior in male mouse offspring that were born from the same fathers at three different paternal ages (3, 12, and 15 months old). RESULTS No differences in locomotor activity or anxiety-like behavior were observed among any of the offspring groups. In the three-chamber test, although the control group (3-month-old paternal age) exhibited significantly higher approach behavior toward the novel mouse compared with the novel object, the APA groups (12- and 15-month-old paternal ages) did not exhibit significant approach toward the novel mouse. CONCLUSION Offspring of 3-month-old fathers but not 12- or 15-month-old APA fathers exhibited social preference behavior. Although the present study was only exploratory, it demonstrated an interaction between social behavior and paternal age in offspring of the same paternal mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miho Tanaka
- Addictive Substance Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Neuropsychiatry, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Atsushi Sato
- Addictive Substance Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Pediatrics, The University of Tokyo Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | | | - Hirofumi Kashii
- Addictive Substance Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Pediatrics, Tokyo Metropolitan Neurological Hospital, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yoko Hagino
- Addictive Substance Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Soichiro Ide
- Addictive Substance Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Ikeda
- Addictive Substance Project, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science, Tokyo, Japan
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4
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Rutkowska J, Lagisz M, Bonduriansky R, Nakagawa S. Mapping the past, present and future research landscape of paternal effects. BMC Biol 2020; 18:183. [PMID: 33246472 PMCID: PMC7694421 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-00892-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although in all sexually reproducing organisms an individual has a mother and a father, non-genetic inheritance has been predominantly studied in mothers. Paternal effects have been far less frequently studied, until recently. In the last 5 years, research on environmentally induced paternal effects has grown rapidly in the number of publications and diversity of topics. Here, we provide an overview of this field using synthesis of evidence (systematic map) and influence (bibliometric analyses). RESULTS We find that motivations for studies into paternal effects are diverse. For example, from the ecological and evolutionary perspective, paternal effects are of interest as facilitators of response to environmental change and mediators of extended heredity. Medical researchers track how paternal pre-fertilization exposures to factors, such as diet or trauma, influence offspring health. Toxicologists look at the effects of toxins. We compare how these three research guilds design experiments in relation to objects of their studies: fathers, mothers and offspring. We highlight examples of research gaps, which, in turn, lead to future avenues of research. CONCLUSIONS The literature on paternal effects is large and disparate. Our study helps in fostering connections between areas of knowledge that develop in parallel, but which could benefit from the lateral transfer of concepts and methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joanna Rutkowska
- Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, BEES, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Malgorzata Lagisz
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, BEES, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Russell Bonduriansky
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, BEES, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, BEES, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
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5
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Krug A, Wöhr M, Seffer D, Rippberger H, Sungur AÖ, Dietsche B, Stein F, Sivalingam S, Forstner AJ, Witt SH, Dukal H, Streit F, Maaser A, Heilmann-Heimbach S, Andlauer TFM, Herms S, Hoffmann P, Rietschel M, Nöthen MM, Lackinger M, Schratt G, Koch M, Schwarting RKW, Kircher T. Advanced paternal age as a risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders: a translational study. Mol Autism 2020; 11:54. [PMID: 32576230 PMCID: PMC7310295 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-020-00345-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2020] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Advanced paternal age (APA) is a risk factor for several neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and schizophrenia. The potential mechanisms conferring this risk are poorly understood. Here, we show that the personality traits schizotypy and neuroticism correlated with paternal age in healthy subjects (N = 677). Paternal age was further positively associated with gray matter volume (VBM, N = 342) in the right prefrontal and the right medial temporal cortex. The integrity of fiber tracts (DTI, N = 222) connecting these two areas correlated positively with paternal age. Genome-wide methylation analysis in humans showed differential methylation in APA individuals, linking APA to epigenetic mechanisms. A corresponding phenotype was obtained in our rat model. APA rats displayed social-communication deficits and emitted fewer pro-social ultrasonic vocalizations compared to controls. They further showed repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behavior, together with higher anxiety during early development. At the neurobiological level, microRNAs miR-132 and miR-134 were both differentially regulated in rats and humans depending on APA. This study demonstrates associations between APA and social behaviors across species. They might be driven by changes in the expression of microRNAs and/or epigenetic changes regulating neuronal plasticity, leading to brain morphological changes and fronto-hippocampal connectivity, a network which has been implicated in social interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Axel Krug
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, 35039, Marburg, Germany.
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Marburg, Germany.
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Markus Wöhr
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Marburg, Germany
- Laboratory for Behavioral Neuroscience, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Dominik Seffer
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Henrike Rippberger
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - A Özge Sungur
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Marburg, Germany
| | - Bruno Dietsche
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, 35039, Marburg, Germany
| | - Frederike Stein
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, 35039, Marburg, Germany
| | - Sugirthan Sivalingam
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Andreas J Forstner
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Centre for Human Genetics, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Department of Psychiatry (UPK), University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Stephanie H Witt
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Helene Dukal
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Fabian Streit
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Anna Maaser
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Stefanie Heilmann-Heimbach
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
| | - Till F M Andlauer
- Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
- Department of Neurology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, School of Medicine, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Stefan Herms
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Centre for Human Genetics, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Per Hoffmann
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Centre for Human Genetics, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Pathology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Marcella Rietschel
- Department of Genetic Epidemiology in Psychiatry, Central Institute of Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim/University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Markus M Nöthen
- Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn School of Medicine & University Hospital Bonn, Bonn, Germany
- Centre for Human Genetics, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Martin Lackinger
- Biochemisch-Pharmakologisches Centrum, Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Philipps-University Marburg, 35043, Marburg, Germany
| | - Gerhard Schratt
- Biochemisch-Pharmakologisches Centrum, Institut für Physiologische Chemie, Philipps-University Marburg, 35043, Marburg, Germany
- Lab of Systems Neuroscience, Department of Health Science and Technology, Institute for Neuroscience, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Koch
- Department of Neuropharmacology, Brain Research Institute, Centre for Cognitive Sciences, University of Bremen, 28334, Bremen, Germany
| | - Rainer K W Schwarting
- Behavioral Neuroscience, Experimental and Biological Psychology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Marburg, Germany
| | - Tilo Kircher
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, 35039, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Mind, Brain and Behavior, Marburg, Germany
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6
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Epigenetic alterations in longevity regulators, reduced life span, and exacerbated aging-related pathology in old father offspring mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E2348-E2357. [PMID: 29467291 PMCID: PMC5877957 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1707337115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Advanced age is not only a major risk factor for a range of disorders within an aging individual but may also enhance susceptibility for disease in the next generation. In humans, advanced paternal age has been associated with increased risk for a number of diseases. Experiments in rodent models have provided initial evidence that paternal age can influence behavioral traits in offspring animals, but the overall scope and extent of paternal age effects on health and disease across the life span remain underexplored. Here, we report that old father offspring mice showed a reduced life span and an exacerbated development of aging traits compared with young father offspring mice. Genome-wide epigenetic analyses of sperm from aging males and old father offspring tissue identified differentially methylated promoters, enriched for genes involved in the regulation of evolutionarily conserved longevity pathways. Gene expression analyses, biochemical experiments, and functional studies revealed evidence for an overactive mTORC1 signaling pathway in old father offspring mice. Pharmacological mTOR inhibition during the course of normal aging ameliorated many of the aging traits that were exacerbated in old father offspring mice. These findings raise the possibility that inherited alterations in longevity pathways contribute to intergenerational effects of aging in old father offspring mice.
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7
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Janecka M, Mill J, Basson MA, Goriely A, Spiers H, Reichenberg A, Schalkwyk L, Fernandes C. Advanced paternal age effects in neurodevelopmental disorders-review of potential underlying mechanisms. Transl Psychiatry 2017; 7:e1019. [PMID: 28140401 PMCID: PMC5299396 DOI: 10.1038/tp.2016.294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2016] [Revised: 11/23/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple epidemiological studies suggest a relationship between advanced paternal age (APA) at conception and adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes in offspring, particularly with regard to increased risk for autism and schizophrenia. Conclusive evidence about how age-related changes in paternal gametes, or age-independent behavioral traits affect neural development is still lacking. Recent evidence suggests that the origins of APA effects are likely to be multidimensional, involving both inherited predisposition and de novo events. Here we provide a review of the epidemiological and molecular findings to date. Focusing on the latter, we present the evidence for genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underpinning the association between late fatherhood and disorder in offspring. We also discuss the limitations of the APA literature. We propose that different hypotheses relating to the origins of the APA effects are not mutually exclusive. Instead, multiple mechanisms likely contribute, reflecting the etiological complexity of neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Janecka
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - J Mill
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - M A Basson
- Department of Craniofacial and Stem Cell Biology, MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
| | - A Goriely
- Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - H Spiers
- University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - A Reichenberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA
| | - L Schalkwyk
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester, UK
| | - C Fernandes
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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8
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Lee BK, McGrath JJ. Advancing parental age and autism: multifactorial pathways. Trends Mol Med 2015; 21:118-25. [PMID: 25662027 DOI: 10.1016/j.molmed.2014.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2014] [Revised: 11/07/2014] [Accepted: 11/20/2014] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Converging evidence from epidemiological, genetic, and animal studies supports the hypothesis that advancing parental age, both of the father and mother, increases the risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in offspring. Paternal age has received considerable attention, with whole-genome sequencing studies linking older fathers to higher rates of de novo mutations and increased risk of ASD. The current evidence suggests that the increased risk of ASD in the offspring of older mothers may be related to mechanisms different from those operating in older fathers. Causal pathways probably involve the interaction of multiple risk factors. Although the etiology of ASD is still poorly understood, studies of parental age provide clues into the genetic and environ-mental mechanisms that mediate the risk of ASD.
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9
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Feinberg JI, Bakulski KM, Jaffe AE, Tryggvadottir R, Brown SC, Goldman LR, Croen LA, Hertz-Picciotto I, Newschaffer CJ, Fallin MD, Feinberg AP. Paternal sperm DNA methylation associated with early signs of autism risk in an autism-enriched cohort. Int J Epidemiol 2015; 44:1199-210. [PMID: 25878217 DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyv028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 99] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epigenetic mechanisms such as altered DNA methylation have been suggested to play a role in autism, beginning with the classical association of Prader-Willi syndrome, an imprinting disorder, with autistic features. OBJECTIVES Here we tested for the relationship of paternal sperm DNA methylation with autism risk in offspring, examining an enriched-risk cohort of fathers of autistic children. METHODS We examined genome-wide DNA methylation (DNAm) in paternal semen biosamples obtained from an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) enriched-risk pregnancy cohort, the Early Autism Risk Longitudinal Investigation (EARLI) cohort, to estimate associations between sperm DNAm and prospective ASD development, using a 12-month ASD symptoms assessment, the Autism Observation Scale for Infants (AOSI). We analysed methylation data from 44 sperm samples run on the CHARM 3.0 array, which contains over 4 million probes (over 7 million CpG sites), including 30 samples also run on the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 (450K) BeadChip platform (∼485 000 CpG sites). We also examined associated regions in an independent sample of post-mortem human brain ASD and control samples for which Illumina 450K DNA methylation data were available. RESULTS Using region-based statistical approaches, we identified 193 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) in paternal sperm with a family-wise empirical P-value [family-wise error rate (FWER)] <0.05 associated with performance on the Autism Observational Scale for Infants (AOSI) at 12 months of age in offspring. The DMRs clustered near genes involved in developmental processes, including many genes in the SNORD family, within the Prader-Willi syndrome gene cluster. These results were consistent among the 75 probes on the Illumina 450K array that cover AOSI-associated DMRs from CHARM. Further, 18 of 75 (24%) 450K array probes showed consistent differences in the cerebellums of autistic individuals compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that epigenetic differences in paternal sperm may contribute to autism risk in offspring, and provide evidence that directionally consistent, potentially related epigenetic mechanisms may be operating in the cerebellum of individuals with autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason I Feinberg
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Johns Hopkins University, Center for Epigenetics
| | - Kelly M Bakulski
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Johns Hopkins University, Center for Epigenetics, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Epidemiology
| | - Andrew E Jaffe
- Lieber Institute for Brain Development, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Mental Health and
| | | | - Shannon C Brown
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Epidemiology
| | - Lynn R Goldman
- George Washington University, Milken Institute School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
| | - Lisa A Croen
- Kaiser Permanente, Division of Research, Autism Research Program
| | | | - Craig J Newschaffer
- Drexel University, A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, Drexel University School of Public Health, Epidemiology and Biostatistics
| | - M Daniele Fallin
- Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Wendy Klag Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Mental Health and
| | - Andrew P Feinberg
- Johns Hopkins University, Center for Epigenetics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Medicine
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