Author(s)

Xiaojuan Li¹, Baifeng Yu², Xueli Wu³, Jiye Zhang¹, Caihong Jia⁴, Zhuo Wang⁴, Qiaomiao Zhou⁵, Hongtao Zhou¹, Guohui Yi⁶, Xinping Chen¹, Shengmiao Fu¹

¹Hainan Provincial People’s Hospital Central Laboratory, Key Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Genetic Transformation of Hainan Province Medicine, Haikou, China.
²Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
³Haikou City Maternal and Child Care Hospital Clinical Laboratory, Haikou, China.
⁴Tropical Biological Technology Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agriculture Science, Haikou, China.
⁵Prenatal Diagnosis Center, Hainan Medical Center for Women and Children, Haikou, China.
⁶Hainan Medical College, Haikou, China.

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a common fetal development disorder which has great impact on neonatal health. Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1) has an important role in regulating fetal growth. Whether IGF1 DNA methylation was associated with IUGR has not been studied. Placenta samples from IUGR (n = 27) and normal delivery (n = 29) were collected whereas basic information of mothers and infants were also collected. RT-PCR was performed to examine IGF1 transcriptions and bisulfite sequencing PCR was used for DNA methylation analysis. Gene expression analysis found IUGR had significantly lower IGF1 transcription compared to control group (IUGR: 0.330 ± 0.351; control group: 1.001 ± 0.800, t = 3.995, P < 0.001). CpG sites at the promoter region of IGF1 were all highly methylated and there is no difference on DNA methylation rate between IUGR and control group (IUGR: 75%; control group: 81%; P = 0.09). Interestingly, in both IUGR and control groups, male fetus had significantly higher methylation rate than female fetus (IUGR: male: 87%; female: 74%, P = 0.016; control: male: 82%; female: 69%, P = 0.012). There was no correlation between IGF1gene expression and DNA methylation rate (r = 0.095, P = 0.063). Intrauterine fetal growth restriction placenta had significantly lower IGF1gene expression; however, IGF1 DNA methylation level was similar. A potential fetus gender difference was also found in IGF1 DNA methylation rate.

Placental, Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1, IUGR

Li, X. , Yu, B. , Wu, X. , Zhang, J. , Jia, C. , Wang, Z. , Zhou, Q. , Zhou, H. , Yi, G. , Chen, X. and Fu, S. (2020) Associations between Placental Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Gene Expression, DNA Methylation and Intrauterine Growth Restriction. Health, 12, 270-280. doi: 10.4236/health.2020.123022.