Fig. 4.

Bdnf DNA methylation patterns in the human and mouse blood mirror Bdnf DNA methylation patterns in the mouse hippocampus. In mice, BPA induced sex-specific effect on DNA methylation of Bdnf IV CpG4 in the blood (A) that was primarily driven by hypermethylation induced in males (B). CpG4 methylation in the blood and CpG4 methylation in the hippocampus are significantly correlated (C). The sequence of the human BDNF promoter IV having 96% homology with the mouse Bdnf IV (CREB-binding site; purple box) (D). In the human cord blood, high maternal BPA levels are associated with altered DNA methylation of two CpG sites in the BDNF IV promoter (D) (low BPA < 1 µg/L; high BPA > 4 µg/L).