SARS-CoV-2 Covid-19 Infection During Pregnancy and Differential DNA Methylation in Human Cord Blood Cells From Term Neonates

Authors

Pedro Urday, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Suhita Gayen Nee' Betal, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Rochelle Sequeira Gomes, Thomas Jefferson University
Huda B. Al-Kouatly, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Kolawole Solarin, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Joanna S.Y. Chan, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Dongmei Li
Irfan Rahman
Sankar Addya, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Rupsa C. Boelig, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow
Zubair H. Aghai, Thomas Jefferson UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-30-2023

Comments

This article is the author's final published version in Epigenetics Insights, Volume 16, January-December 2023.

The published version is available at https://doi.org/10.1177/25168657231184665. Copyright © The Author(s) 2023. Published by SAGE Publications Ltd.

Abstract

Background:

The global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). About 18.4% of total Covid-19 cases were reported in children. Even though vertical transmission from mother to infant is likely to occur at a low rate, exposure to COVID-19 during fetal life may alter DNA methylation patterns with potential long-term effects.

Objective:

To determine if COVID-19 infection during pregnancy alters the DNA methylation patterns in umbilical cord blood cells from term infants and to identify potential pathways and genes affected by exposure to COVID-19 infection.

Methods:

Umbilical cord blood was collected from 8 infants exposed to COVID-19 during pregnancy and 8 control infants with no COVID-19 exposure. Genomic DNA was isolated from umbilical cord blood cells and genome-wide DNA methylation was performed using Illumina Methylation EPIC Array.

Results:

119 differentially methylated loci were identified at the FDR level of 0.20 (64 hypermethylated loci and 55 hypomethylated loci) in umbilical cord blood cells of COVID-19 exposed neonates compared to the control group. Important canonical pathways identified by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) were related to stress response (corticotropin releasing hormone signaling, glucocorticoid receptor signaling, and oxytocin in brain signaling pathway), and cardiovascular disease and development (nitric oxide signaling in the cardiovascular system, apelin cardiomyocyte signaling pathways, factors promoting cardiogenesis, and renin-angiotensin signaling). The genes affected by the differential methylations were associated with cardiac, renal, hepatic, neurological diseases, developmental and immunological disorders.

Conclusions:

COVID-19 induces differential DNA methylation in umbilical cord blood cells. The differentially methylated genes may contribute to hepatic, renal, cardiac, developmental and immunological disorders in offspring born to mothers with COVID-19 infection during pregnancy, and their developmental regulation.

Recommended Citation

Urday, Pedro; Gayen Nee' Betal, Suhita; Gomes, Rochelle Sequeira; Al-Kouatly, Huda B.; Solarin, Kolawole; Chan, Joanna S.Y.; Li, Dongmei; Rahman, Irfan; Addya, Sankar; Boelig, Rupsa C.; and Aghai, Zubair H., "SARS-CoV-2 Covid-19 Infection During Pregnancy and Differential DNA Methylation in Human Cord Blood Cells From Term Neonates" (2023). Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology Faculty Papers. Paper 104.
https://jdc.jefferson.edu/obgynfp/104

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

Language

English