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. 2021 Nov;13(21):1701-1709.
doi: 10.2217/epi-2020-0022. Epub 2020 Nov 20.

Maternal anxiety and depression in pregnancy and DNA methylation of the NR3C1 glucocorticoid receptor gene

Alexandra E Dereix  1 , Rachel Ledyard  2 , Allyson M Redhunt  3 , Tessa R Bloomquist  4 , Kasey Jm Brennan  4 , Andrea A Baccarelli  4 , Michele R Hacker  3   5   6 , Heather H Burris  2   7   8
Affiliations

Maternal anxiety and depression in pregnancy and DNA methylation of the NR3C1 glucocorticoid receptor gene

Alexandra E Dereix et al. Epigenomics. 2021 Nov.

Abstract

Aim: To quantify associations of anxiety and depression during pregnancy with differential cord blood DNA methylation of the glucorticoid receptor (NR3C1). Materials & methods: Pregnancy anxiety, trait anxiety and depressive symptoms were collected using the Pregnancy Related Anxiety Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Index and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, respectively. NR3C1 methylation was determined at four methylation sites. Results: DNA methylation of CpG1 in the NR3C1 CpG island shore was higher in infants born to women with high pregnancy anxiety (β 2.54, 95% CI: 0.49-4.58) and trait anxiety (β 1.68, 95% CI: 0.14-3.22). No significant association was found between depressive symptoms and NR3C1 methylation. Conclusion: We found that maternal anxiety was associated with increased NR3C1 CpG island shore methylation.

Keywords: DNA methylation; NR3C1; cord blood; developmental epigenetics; epigenetics; glucocorticoid receptor; maternal anxiety; maternal depression; pregnancy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors would like to acknowledge the Charles H Hood Foundation, National Institutes of Health/K23ES022242 and Harvard Catalyst, The Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center (National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health Award UL 1TR002541). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. NR3C1 promoter region.
The NR3C1 gene promoter region contains nine noncoding exons numbered 1A–1J (omitting G). Exons 1D–1H span across approximately 3 kb and comprise the proximal promoter region of the NR3C1 gene. Shaded regions represent the CpG island shore, noncoding regions 2 kb upstream and downstream of the CpG island. CpG1 is indicated as a red diamond. Adapted from [38], [41] and EpigenDx.
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