Experiences of Trauma and DNA Methylation Profiles among African American Mothers and Children

• Type of Material: Article
• Authors: Veronica Barcelona, Columbia University; Yunfeng Huang, Biogen; Billy A Caceres, Columbia University; Kevin P Newhall, Case Western Reserve University; Qin Hui, Emory University; Jessica P Cerdeña, Yale School of Medicine; Cindy A Crusto, Yale School of Medicine; Yan Sun, Emory University; Jacquelyn Y Taylor, Columbia University
• Language: English
• Date: 2022-08-01
• Publisher: MDPI
• Publication Version: Final Published Version
• Copyright Statement: © 2022 by the authors.
• License: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Final Published Version (URL): http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijms23168951
• Title of Journal or Parent Work: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
• Volume: 23
• Issue: 16
• Grant/Funding Information: Author J.P.C. is supported by the National Institutes of Health Medical Scientist Training Program Grant T32GM136651 and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholars Program.; This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Nursing Research [R01NR013520], and by a Yale School of Nursing Alumni Donor.
• Keywords: ASSOCIATION; BLOOD-PRESSURE; ACES; INTERGENERATIONAL IMPACT; epigenomics; INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE; Biochemistry & Molecular Biology; Chemistry; DNA methylation; Science & Technology; trauma; PARENTING STRESS; LIFE EVENTS; African Americans; Physical Sciences; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Chemistry, Multidisciplinary; PSYCHOLOGICAL-FACTORS; MENTAL-HEALTH; ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES; women; DISPARITIES

Abstract

Potentially traumatic experiences have been associated with chronic diseases. Epigenetic mechanisms, including DNA methylation (DNAm), have been proposed as an explanation for this association. We examined the association of experiences of trauma with epigenome-wide DNAm among African American mothers (n = 236) and their children aged 3–5 years (n = 232; N = 500), using the Life Events Checklist-5 (LEC) and Traumatic Events Screening Inventory—Parent Report Revised (TESI-PRR). We identified no DNAm sites significantly associated with potentially traumatic experience scores in mothers. One CpG site on the ENOX1 gene was methylome-wide-significant in children (FDR-corrected q-value = 0.05) from the TESI-PRR. This protein-coding gene is associated with mental illness, including unipolar depression, bipolar, and schizophrenia. Future research should further examine the associations between childhood trauma, DNAm, and health outcomes among this understudied and high-risk group. Findings from such longitudinal research may inform clinical and translational approaches to prevent adverse health outcomes associated with epigenetic changes.