Table 2.
Overview of referenced epigenome-wide studies investigating the relationship between DNAm and prenatal stress
| References | Candidate genes | Method DNAm | Sample Size | Exposure, exposure sample size and timing (if available) | Outcome and timing | Tissue | Age and sex (if available) | Result* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [11] | EWAS | 450K array | 207 |
Maternal lifetime exposure to stress score assessed in 2nd trimester |
DNAm at birth |
Placenta |
Newborns; 52% male |
112 associated CpG sites (FDR 0.05) |
| [37] | EWAS | EPIC v1 array | 8 |
Maternal Covid-19 infection; n = 4 exposed, n = 4 unexposed |
DNAm in infants | Buccal | Infants aged 3 months; 88% male | 2,678 associated CpG sites (nominal p-value < 0.05) |
| [42] | EWAS | 450K array | 6685 |
Maternal smoking in pregnancy; n = 1,646 exposed to any smoking in pregnancy, n = 5,039 unexposed |
DNAm at birth |
Cordblood | Newborns | 6,073 associated CpG sites (FDR 0.05); 254 CpGs significantly associated with gene expression (FDR 0.05) |
| [47] | EWAS | EPIC v1 array | 44 |
Exposure to Covid-19 pandemic in utero; n = 32 exposed, n = 12 unexposed |
DNAm in infants | Buccal | Infants mean age 5 weeks; 56% male exposed; 58% male unexposed | 675 associated CpG sites (FDR 0.05) |
| [80] | EWAS | 450K array | 1740 | Prenatal maternal exposure score |
DNAm at birth |
Cordblood | Newborns; 51% males | No significantly associated CpG sites after multiple testing correction |
| [82] | EWAS |
450K array or EPIC v1 array |
7243 | Maternal anxiety score during pregnancy |
DNAm at birth |
Cordblood | Newborns | No significantly associated CpG sites after multiple testing correction |
| [89] | EWAS | EPIC v1 array | 114 | Prenatal maternal perceived stress |
DNAm at birth |
Saliva | Newborns; 54% male | One associated CpG site (FDR 0.05) |
| [91] | EWAS | 450K array | 9340 | Pre-Pregnancy maternal BMI |
DNAm at birth |
Cordblood | Newborns | 9,044 associated CpG sites (Bonferroni correction) |
| [90] | EWAS | 450K array | 3075 |
Alcohol consumption in pregnancy; n = 1147 exposed, n = 1928 unexposed |
DNAm at birth |
Cordblood | Newborns | No significantly associated CpG sites after multiple testing correction |
| [98] | EWAS | 450K array | 930 |
Maternal famine exposure during pregnancy; n = 73 exposed in weeks 1–10 of gestation, n = 123 exposed in weeks 11–20 of gestation, n = 143 exposed in weeks 21–30 of gestation, n = 128 exposed in weeks 31 up to delivery, n = 463 unexposed |
DNAm in adults | Blood | Adults; mean age 59; 46% male | 4 associated CpG sites with exposure in gestational weeks 1–10 after multiple testing correction, no associated CpG sites with exposure in later gestation |
| [100] | EWAS | EPIC v1 array | 16 |
Maternal Covid-19 infection; n = 8 exposed, n = 8 unexposed |
DNAm at birth | Cordblood | Newborns | 119 associated CpG sites (FDR 0.20) |
Studies are listed in alphabetical order; studies are cross-sectional if not stated otherwise
*significance was defined differently throughout the studies