|
|
|
| A case-control study of association between methylation of sperm DNA imprinting genes and fetal stop development |
| School of Public Health, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, 030001 |
|
|
|
|
Abstract Objective: To explore the paternal epigenetic mechanism of fetal stop development. Methods: During March 2015 and April 2016, a total of 702 married men who visited doctors for pre-pregnancy examinations in the reproductive center of the maternal and child health care hospital of Shanxi province were selected in this study. Their demographic information and semen sample were collected. And the methylation levels of H19, Peg3 and Meg3 in sperm DNA were measured by pyrosequencing. Their newborn’s outcomes were followed up. In this study, 35 subjects with fetal stop development were included in fetal stop development group, and 35 subjects were selected in the control group by 1:1 pairing based on age, BMI, smoking, drinking and conception methods. Wilcoxon test was used to compare the levels of average methylation in three imprinted genes of sperm DNA and levels of the methylation at each individual CpG site. Results: The average level of DNA methylation of imprinting gene H19, Peg3 and Meg3 in human sperm had no significantly difference between fetal stop development group and control group (P>0.05). Further comparing the difference of the level of each CpG site between two groups, the methylation levels of CpG3 and CpG6 of Meg3 in fetal stop development group were significant lower than those in control group (P<0.05), while there were no significant difference in other CpG sites between the two groups (P>0.05). Conclusion: The decreasing of methylation level of Meg3 in sperm DNA may increase the risk of fetal stop development.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
