title: Fetal growth restriction and methylation of growth-related genes in the placenta.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the associations between fetal growth restriction (FGR) and DNA methylation of six growth-related genes in human placenta.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 181 mother-newborn pairs (80 FGR cases and 101 controls) were enrolled in this case-control study. Placental DNA methylation was measured by bisulfite pyrosequencing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DNA methylation levels of IGF2 and AHRR were positively associated with newborn birth weight and Quetelet's index, while DNA methylation levels of HSD11B2 and WNT2 were negatively associated with those fetal growth indicators. In addition, significantly elevated odds of FGR birth were associated with increasing DNA methylation of HSD11B2 and WNT2, and decreasing DNA methylation of IGF2.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings demonstrated that placental DNA methylation levels of IGF2, AHRR, HSD11B2 and WNT2 were associated with measures of fetal growth.
authors.affiliation: Obstetrics & Gynecology Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Xirong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: The International Peace Maternity & Child Health Hospital of China Welfare Institute, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Jiao
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Xiu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Departments of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baccarelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China.
authors.forename: Yunhui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D043209:11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2 / Q000235:genetics*; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001724:Birth Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019175:DNA Methylation; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000235:genetics*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D010920:Placenta / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D051154:Wnt2 Protein / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D043209:11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 2; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D007335:Insulin-Like Growth Factor II; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D051154:Wnt2 Protein; C492162:AHRR protein, human; C035170:IGF2 protein, human; C495244:WNT2 protein, human; C468387:HSD11B2 protein, human
keywords: DNA methylation; birth weight; case–control study; fetal growth restriction; placenta