Epigenetics in Families: Covariance between Mother and Child Methylation Patterns

Tanya Van Aswegen; Guy Bosmans; Luc Goossens; Karla Van Leeuwen; Stephan Claes; Wim Van Den Noortgate; Benjamin L. Hankin

doi:10.3390/brainsci11020190

Epigenetics in Families: Covariance between Mother and Child Methylation Patterns

Tanya Van Aswegen, Guy Bosmans, Luc Goossens, Karla Van Leeuwen, Stephan Claes, Wim Van Den Noortgate, Benjamin L. Hankin

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Theory and research both point at epigenetic processes affecting both parenting behavior and child functioning. However, little is known about the convergence of mother and child’s epigenetic patterns in families. Therefore, the current study investigated epigenetic covariance in mother–child dyads’ methylation levels regarding four stress-regulation related genes (5HTT, NR3C1, FKBP5, and BDNF). Covariance was tested in a general population sample, consisting of early adolescents (M_age = 11.63, SD_age = 2.3) and mothers (N = 160 dyads). Results showed that mother and offspring 5HTT and NR3C1 methylation patterns correlated. Furthermore, when averaged across genes, methylation levels strongly correlated. These findings partially supported that child and parent methylation levels covary. It might be important to consider this covariance to understand maladaptive parent–child relationships.

Original language	English (US)
Article number	190
Pages (from-to)	1-11
Number of pages	11
Journal	Brain Sciences
Volume	11
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11020190
State	Published - Feb 2021

Keywords

DNA methylation
Early adolescence
Epigenetics
Shared environments
Stress-related genes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

General Neuroscience

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10.3390/brainsci11020190License: CC BY

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title = "Epigenetics in Families: Covariance between Mother and Child Methylation Patterns",

abstract = "Theory and research both point at epigenetic processes affecting both parenting behavior and child functioning. However, little is known about the convergence of mother and child{\textquoteright}s epigenetic patterns in families. Therefore, the current study investigated epigenetic covariance in mother–child dyads{\textquoteright} methylation levels regarding four stress-regulation related genes (5HTT, NR3C1, FKBP5, and BDNF). Covariance was tested in a general population sample, consisting of early adolescents (Mage = 11.63, SDage = 2.3) and mothers (N = 160 dyads). Results showed that mother and offspring 5HTT and NR3C1 methylation patterns correlated. Furthermore, when averaged across genes, methylation levels strongly correlated. These findings partially supported that child and parent methylation levels covary. It might be important to consider this covariance to understand maladaptive parent–child relationships.",

keywords = "DNA methylation, Early adolescence, Epigenetics, Shared environments, Stress-related genes",

author = "Aswegen, {Tanya Van} and Guy Bosmans and Luc Goossens and Leeuwen, {Karla Van} and Stephan Claes and Noortgate, {Wim Van Den} and Hankin, {Benjamin L.}",

note = "Funding Information: Funding: This research has been supported by NIMH grants R01MH077195, R01MH105501, and R21MH102210 assigned to B.L. Hankin, by grants G075718 and G0D6721 of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) assigned to G. Bosmans, and by grant C14/16/040, from the Research Fund KU Leuven, Belgium awarded to L. Goossens, G. Bosmans, K. Van Leeuwen, S. Claes, and W. Van Den Noortgate. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",

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language = "English (US)",

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AU - Claes, Stephan

AU - Noortgate, Wim Van Den

AU - Hankin, Benjamin L.

N1 - Funding Information: Funding: This research has been supported by NIMH grants R01MH077195, R01MH105501, and R21MH102210 assigned to B.L. Hankin, by grants G075718 and G0D6721 of the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) assigned to G. Bosmans, and by grant C14/16/040, from the Research Fund KU Leuven, Belgium awarded to L. Goossens, G. Bosmans, K. Van Leeuwen, S. Claes, and W. Van Den Noortgate. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Copyright: Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

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N2 - Theory and research both point at epigenetic processes affecting both parenting behavior and child functioning. However, little is known about the convergence of mother and child’s epigenetic patterns in families. Therefore, the current study investigated epigenetic covariance in mother–child dyads’ methylation levels regarding four stress-regulation related genes (5HTT, NR3C1, FKBP5, and BDNF). Covariance was tested in a general population sample, consisting of early adolescents (Mage = 11.63, SDage = 2.3) and mothers (N = 160 dyads). Results showed that mother and offspring 5HTT and NR3C1 methylation patterns correlated. Furthermore, when averaged across genes, methylation levels strongly correlated. These findings partially supported that child and parent methylation levels covary. It might be important to consider this covariance to understand maladaptive parent–child relationships.

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Epigenetics in Families: Covariance between Mother and Child Methylation Patterns

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