Differentially methylated regions interrogated for metastable epialleles associate with offspring adiposity

Aim: Assess if cord blood differentially methylated regions (DMRs) representing human metastable epialleles (MEs) associate with offspring adiposity in 588 maternal-infant dyads from the Colorado Health Start Study. Materials & methods: DNA methylation was assessed via the Illumina 450K array (similar to 439,500 CpG sites). Offspring adiposity was obtained via air displacement plethysmography. Linear regression modeled the association of DMRs potentially representing MEs with adiposity. Results & conclusion: We identified two potential MEs, ZFP57, which associated with infant adiposity change and B4GALNT4, which associated with infancy and childhood adiposity change. Nine DMRs annotating to genes that annotated to MEs associated with change in offspring adiposity (false discovery rate <0.05). Methylation of approximately 80% of DMRs identified associated with decreased change in adiposity.