Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
Dev Psychopathol. 2012 Feb;24(1):143-55. doi: 10.1017/S0954579411000605. Epub 2011 Nov 29.
Previous studies with nonhuman species have shown that animals exposed to early adversity show differential DNA methylation relative to comparison animals. The current study examined differential methylation among 14 children raised since birth in institutional care and 14 comparison children raised by their biological parents. Blood samples were taken from children in middle childhood. Analysis of whole-genome methylation patterns was performed using the Infinium HumanMethylation27 BeadChip assay (Illumina), which contains 27,578 CpG sites, covering approximately 14,000 gene promoters. Group differences were registered, which were characterized primarily by greater methylation in the institutionalized group relative to the comparison group, with most of these differences in genes involved in the control of immune response and cellular signaling systems, including a number of crucial players important for neural communication and brain development and functioning. The findings suggest that patterns of differential methylation seen in nonhuman species with altered maternal care are also characteristic of children who experience early maternal separation.
先前对非人类物种的研究表明，暴露于早期逆境的动物相对于对照动物表现出不同的 DNA 甲基化。本研究检查了 14 名自出生以来在机构照护中长大的儿童和 14 名由亲生父母抚养的对照儿童之间的差异甲基化。从儿童的童年中期采集血样。使用 Infinium HumanMethylation27 BeadChip 检测试剂盒（Illumina）进行全基因组甲基化模式分析，该试剂盒包含 27,578 个 CpG 位点，覆盖约 14,000 个基因启动子。登记了组间差异，这些差异主要表现为在机构化组中相对对照组的甲基化程度更高，其中大多数差异涉及控制免疫反应和细胞信号系统的基因，包括许多对神经通讯和大脑发育和功能至关重要的关键参与者。这些发现表明，在经历早期母婴分离的儿童中，也存在与改变母体照护的非人类物种中所见的差异甲基化模式。
