title: Polymorphisms in maternal folate pathway genes interact with arsenic in drinking water to influence risk of myelomeningocele.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Arsenic induces neural tube defects in many animal models. Additionally, studies have shown that mice with specific genetic defects in folate metabolism and transport are more susceptible to arsenic-induced neural tube defects. We sought to determine whether 14 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in genes involved in folate metabolism modified the effect of exposure to drinking water contaminated with inorganic arsenic and posterior neural tube defect (myelomeningocele) risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-four mothers of children with myelomeningocele and 55 controls were enrolled through clinical sites in rural Bangladesh in a case-control study of the association between environmental arsenic exposure and risk of myelomeningocele. We assessed participants for level of myelomeningocele, administered questionnaires, conducted biological and environmental sample collection, and performed genotyping. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to measure inorganic arsenic concentration in drinking water. Candidate single-nucleotide polymorphisms were identified through review of the literature.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Drinking water inorganic arsenic concentration was associated with increased risk of myelomeningocele for participants with 4 of the 14 studied single-nucleotide polymorphisms in genes involved in folate metabolism: the AA/AG genotype of rs2236225 (MTHFD1), the GG genotype of rs1051266 (SLC19A1), the TT genotype of rs7560488 (DNMT3A), and the GG genotype of rs3740393 (AS3MT) with adjusted odds ratio of 1.13, 1.31, 1.20, and 1.25 for rs2236225, rs1051266, rs7560488, and rs3740393, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results support the hypothesis that environmental arsenic exposure increases the risk of myelomeningocele by means of interaction with folate metabolic pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.|Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Maitreyi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mazumdar
authors.affiliation: Department of Biostatistics, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Valeri
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.|Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Ema G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
authors.affiliation: Dhaka Community Hospital Trust, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Md Omar Sharif
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Ibne Hasan
authors.affiliation: Bangladesh Medical College, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Rezina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hamid
authors.affiliation: Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Ligi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.affiliation: Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Selhub
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Fareesa
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.affiliation: Dhaka Community Hospital Trust, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Md Golam
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Mostofa
authors.affiliation: Dhaka Community Hospital Trust, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Quazi
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Quamruzzaman
authors.affiliation: Dhaka Community Hospital Trust, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
authors.forename: Mahmuder
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Christiani
mesh_terms: D001151:Arsenic / Q000378:metabolism*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D060766:Drinking Water / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008591:Meningomyelocele / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D058978:Reduced Folate Carrier Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D012306:Risk
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water; D058978:Reduced Folate Carrier Protein; D005492:Folic Acid; D001151:Arsenic
keywords: arsenic; environmental health; folate; myelomeningocele; neural tube defect