Prenatal Lead (Pb) Exposure and Peripheral Blood DNA Methylation (5mC) and Hydroxymethylation (5hmC) in Mexican Adolescents from the ELEMENT Birth Cohort
Christine A. Rygiel, Jaclyn M. Goodrich, Maritsa Solano-González, Adriana Mercado‐García, Howard Hu, Martha María Téllez‐Rojo, Karen E. Peterson, Dana C. Dolinoy
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Gestational lead (Pb) exposure can adversely affect offspring health through multiple mechanisms, including epigenomic alterations via DNA methylation (5mC) and hydroxymethylation (5hmC), an intermediate in oxidative demethylation. Most current methods do not distinguish between 5mC and 5hmC, limiting insights into their individual roles. OBJECTIVE: in whole blood leukocytes of children ages 11-18 years of age. METHODS: ) and 5mC only; 5hmC is estimated by subtraction. RESULTS: ). DISCUSSION: These findings suggest there is variable 5hmC in human whole blood and that prenatal Pb exposure is associated with gene-specific 5mC and 5hmC levels at adolescence, providing evidence to consider 5hmC as a regulatory mechanism that is responsive to environmental exposures. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP8507.