Table 2 Overview of referenced epigenome-wide studies investigating the relationship between DNAm and prenatal stress
From: Epigenetics of prenatal stress in humans: the current research landscape
References | Candidate genes | Method DNAm | Sample Size | Exposure, exposure sample size and timing (if available) | Outcome and timing | Tissue | Age and sex (if available) | Result* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
[11] | EWAS | 450K array | 207 | Maternal lifetime exposure to stress score assessed in 2nd trimester | DNAm at birth | Placenta | Newborns; 52% male | 112 associated CpG sites (FDR 0.05) |
[37] | EWAS | EPIC v1 array | 8 | Maternal Covid-19 infection; n = 4 exposed, n = 4 unexposed | DNAm in infants | Buccal | Infants aged 3 months; 88% male | 2,678 associated CpG sites (nominal p-value < 0.05) |
[42] | EWAS | 450K array | 6685 | Maternal smoking in pregnancy; n = 1,646 exposed to any smoking in pregnancy, n = 5,039 unexposed | DNAm at birth | Cordblood | Newborns | 6,073 associated CpG sites (FDR 0.05); 254 CpGs significantly associated with gene expression (FDR 0.05) |
[47] | EWAS | EPIC v1 array | 44 | Exposure to Covid-19 pandemic in utero; n = 32 exposed, n = 12 unexposed | DNAm in infants | Buccal | Infants mean age 5 weeks; 56% male exposed; 58% male unexposed | 675 associated CpG sites (FDR 0.05) |
[80] | EWAS | 450K array | 1740 | Prenatal maternal exposure score | DNAm at birth | Cordblood | Newborns; 51% males | No significantly associated CpG sites after multiple testing correction |
[82] | EWAS | 450K array or EPIC v1 array | 7243 | Maternal anxiety score during pregnancy | DNAm at birth | Cordblood | Newborns | No significantly associated CpG sites after multiple testing correction |
[89] | EWAS | EPIC v1 array | 114 | Prenatal maternal perceived stress | DNAm at birth | Saliva | Newborns; 54% male | One associated CpG site (FDR 0.05) |
[91] | EWAS | 450K array | 9340 | Pre-Pregnancy maternal BMI | DNAm at birth | Cordblood | Newborns | 9,044 associated CpG sites (Bonferroni correction) |
[90] | EWAS | 450K array | 3075 | Alcohol consumption in pregnancy; n = 1147 exposed, n = 1928 unexposed | DNAm at birth | Cordblood | Newborns | No significantly associated CpG sites after multiple testing correction |
[98] | EWAS | 450K array | 930 | Maternal famine exposure during pregnancy; n = 73 exposed in weeks 1–10 of gestation, n = 123 exposed in weeks 11–20 of gestation, n = 143 exposed in weeks 21–30 of gestation, n = 128 exposed in weeks 31 up to delivery, n = 463 unexposed | DNAm in adults | Blood | Adults; mean age 59; 46% male | 4 associated CpG sites with exposure in gestational weeks 1–10 after multiple testing correction, no associated CpG sites with exposure in later gestation |
[100] | EWAS | EPIC v1 array | 16 | Maternal Covid-19 infection; n = 8 exposed, n = 8 unexposed | DNAm at birth | Cordblood | Newborns | 119 associated CpG sites (FDR 0.20) |