Susanne Jahreis1, Saskia Trump2, Mario Bauer3, Tobias Bauer4, Loreen Thürmann3, Ralph Feltens5, Qi Wang4, Lei Gu6, Konrad Grützmann3, Stefan Röder3, Marco Averbeck7, Dieter Weichenhan8, Christoph Plass8, Ulrich Sack9, Michael Borte10, Virginie Dubourg11, Gerrit Schüürmann12, Jan C Simon7, Martin von Bergen13, Jörg Hackermüller11, Roland Eils14, Irina Lehmann3, Tobias Polte15. 1. Department of Environmental Immunology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Leipzig University Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany; Infections in Hematology/Oncology, Leibniz Institute for Natural Product Research and Infection Biology-Hans Knöll Institute, Jena, Germany. 2. Department of Environmental Immunology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle, Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, and Bioquant Center, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. 3. Department of Environmental Immunology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle, Leipzig, Germany. 4. Division of Theoretical Bioinformatics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany. 5. Department Molecular Systems Biology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle, Leipzig, Germany. 6. Division of Theoretical Bioinformatics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Cell Biology, Harvard Medical School, Boston. 7. Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Leipzig University Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany. 8. Division of Epigenomics and Cancer Risk Factors, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany. 9. Institute of Clinical Immunology, Medical Faculty, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. 10. Municipal Hospital "St Georg" Children's Hospital, Leipzig, Germany. 11. Young Investigators Group Bioinformatics and Transcriptomics, Department Molecular Systems Biology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle, Leipzig, Germany. 12. Department of Ecological Chemistry, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle, Leipzig, Germany; Institute for Organic Chemistry, Technical University Bergakademie Freiberg, Freiberg, Germany. 13. Department Molecular Systems Biology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle, Leipzig, Germany; Institute of Biochemistry, Faculty of Bioscience, Pharmacy and Psychology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, University of Aalborg, Aalborg, Denmark. 14. Division of Theoretical Bioinformatics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, and Bioquant Center, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany; Translational Lung Research Center Heidelberg (TLRC), German Center for Lung Research (DZL), University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. 15. Department of Environmental Immunology, UFZ-Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Dermatology, Venerology and Allergology, Leipzig University Medical Center, Leipzig, Germany. Electronic address: tobias.polte@ufz.de.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Prenatal and early postnatal exposures to environmental factors are considered responsible for the increasing prevalence of allergic diseases. Although there is some evidence for allergy-promoting effects in children because of exposure to plasticizers, such as phthalates, findings of previous studies are inconsistent and lack mechanistic information. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of maternal phthalate exposure on asthma development in subsequent generations and their underlying mechanisms, including epigenetic alterations. METHODS: Phthalate metabolites were measured within the prospective mother-child cohort Lifestyle and Environmental Factors and Their Influence on Newborns Allergy Risk (LINA) and correlated with asthma development in the children. A murine transgenerational asthma model was used to identify involved pathways. RESULTS: In LINA maternal urinary concentrations of mono-n-butyl phthalate, a metabolite of butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), were associated with an increased asthma risk in the children. Using a murine transgenerational asthma model, we demonstrate a direct effect of BBP on asthma severity in the offspring with a persistently increased airway inflammation up to the F2 generation. This disease-promoting effect was mediated by BBP-induced global DNA hypermethylation in CD4+ T cells of the offspring because treatment with a DNA-demethylating agent alleviated exacerbation of allergic airway inflammation. Thirteen transcriptionally downregulated genes linked to promoter or enhancer hypermethylation were identified. Among these, the GATA-3 repressor zinc finger protein 1 (Zfpm1) emerged as a potential mediator of the enhanced susceptibility for TH2-driven allergic asthma. CONCLUSION: These data provide strong evidence that maternal BBP exposure increases the risk for allergic airway inflammation in the offspring by modulating the expression of genes involved in TH2 differentiation through epigenetic alterations.
BACKGROUND: Prenatal and early postnatal exposures to environmental factors are considered responsible for the increasing prevalence of allergic diseases. Although there is some evidence for allergy-promoting effects in children because of exposure to plasticizers, such as phthalates, findings of previous studies are inconsistent and lack mechanistic information. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effect of maternal phthalate exposure on asthma development in subsequent generations and their underlying mechanisms, including epigenetic alterations. METHODS:Phthalate metabolites were measured within the prospective mother-child cohort Lifestyle and Environmental Factors and Their Influence on Newborns Allergy Risk (LINA) and correlated with asthma development in the children. A murine transgenerational asthma model was used to identify involved pathways. RESULTS: In LINA maternal urinary concentrations of mono-n-butyl phthalate, a metabolite of butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), were associated with an increased asthma risk in the children. Using a murine transgenerational asthma model, we demonstrate a direct effect of BBP on asthma severity in the offspring with a persistently increased airway inflammation up to the F2 generation. This disease-promoting effect was mediated by BBP-induced global DNA hypermethylation in CD4+ T cells of the offspring because treatment with a DNA-demethylating agent alleviated exacerbation of allergic airway inflammation. Thirteen transcriptionally downregulated genes linked to promoter or enhancer hypermethylation were identified. Among these, the GATA-3 repressor zinc finger protein 1 (Zfpm1) emerged as a potential mediator of the enhanced susceptibility for TH2-driven allergic asthma. CONCLUSION: These data provide strong evidence that maternal BBP exposure increases the risk for allergic airway inflammation in the offspring by modulating the expression of genes involved in TH2 differentiation through epigenetic alterations.
Authors: Cheng Peng; Evelien R Van Meel; Andres Cardenas; Sheryl L Rifas-Shiman; Abhijeet R Sonawane; Kimberly R Glass; Diane R Gold; Thomas A Platts-Mills; Xihong Lin; Emily Oken; Marie-France Hivert; Andrea A Baccarelli; Nicolette W De Jong; Janine F Felix; Vincent W Jaddoe; Liesbeth Duijts; Augusto A Litonjua; Dawn L DeMeo Journal: Epigenetics Date: 2019-03-28 Impact factor: 4.528
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