Characterization of the effects of age and childhood maltreatment on ELOVL2 DNA methylation

DNA methylation of the elongation of very long chain fatty acids protein 2 (ELOVL2) was suggested as a biomarker of biological aging, while childhood maltreatment (CM) has been associated with accelerated biological aging. We investigated the association of age and CM experiences with ELOVL2 methyla...

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Published in:Development and psychopathology 2022-08, Vol.34 (3), p.864-874
Main Authors: Ramo-Fernández, Laura, Karabatsiakis, Alexander, Boeck, Christina, Bach, Alexandra M., Gumpp, Anja M., Mavioglu, R. Nehir, Ammerpohl, Ole, Kolassa, Iris-Tatjana
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Aging
Biomarkers
Child abuse & neglect
Childhood
Children
Cord blood
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
DNA methylation
Epigenetics
Fatty acids
Gene expression
Genetics
Immune system
Leukocytes (mononuclear)
Mothers
Neonates
Newborn babies
Peripheral blood mononuclear cells
Regular Article
Umbilical cord
Womens health
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Summary:DNA methylation of the elongation of very long chain fatty acids protein 2 (ELOVL2) was suggested as a biomarker of biological aging, while childhood maltreatment (CM) has been associated with accelerated biological aging. We investigated the association of age and CM experiences with ELOVL2 methylation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Furthermore, we investigated ELOVL2 methylation in the umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells (UBMC) of newborns of mothers with and without CM. PBMC and UBMC were isolated from 113 mother–newborn dyads and genomic DNA was extracted. Mothers with and without CM experiences were recruited directly postpartum. Mass array spectrometry and pyrosequencing were used for methylation analyses of ELOVL2 intron 1, and exon 1 and 5′ end, respectively. ELOVL2 5′ end and intron 1 methylation increased with higher age but were not associated with CM experiences. On the contrary, overall ELOVL2 exon 1 methylation increased with higher CM, but these changes were minimal and did not increase with age. Maternal CM experiences and neonatal methylation of ELOVL2 intron 1 or exon 1 were not significantly correlated. Our study suggests region-specific effects of chronological age and experienced CM on ELOVL2 methylation and shows that the epigenetic biomarker for age within the ELOVL2 gene does not show accelerated biological aging years after CM exposure.
ISSN:0954-5794
1469-2198
DOI:10.1017/S0954579420001972