Smoking during pregnancy increases chemerin expression in neonatal tissue

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Developmental Biology
• Epigenetics

Background:

• In utero tobacco exposure is linked to increased offspring obesity risk, but underlying mechanisms remain unclear.
• Chemerin, an adipokine involved in adipocyte differentiation, is elevated in obesity and with smoke exposure.
• Previous studies have not assessed chemerin levels in neonates exposed to maternal smoking in utero.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether chemerin gene expression and DNA methylation are altered in neonates following in utero cigarette smoke exposure.
• To explore potential epigenetic mechanisms linking maternal smoking to offspring obesity risk.

Main Methods:

• Examined chemerin gene expression and DNA methylation in skin tissue from neonates born to smoking and non-smoking mothers.
• Utilized primary dermal fibroblasts from a second cohort to assess adipogenesis and chemerin expression.
• Employed real-time PCR for gene expression analysis and assessed DNA methylation levels.

Main Results:

• Chemerin mRNA expression was significantly elevated in both whole skin tissue and primary fibroblasts from infants of mothers who smoked during pregnancy (P < 0.01 and P = 0.04, respectively).
• Chemerin DNA methylation was significantly reduced in the skin tissue of neonates exposed to maternal smoking (P = 0.02).
• These findings suggest a direct link between in utero smoke exposure and altered chemerin regulation.

Conclusions:

• Neonates born to mothers who smoke during pregnancy exhibit distinct changes in chemerin gene expression.
• Epigenetic alterations, specifically decreased DNA methylation, likely contribute to the observed increase in chemerin gene expression.
• These molecular changes provide a potential mechanism mediating the increased risk of obesity in offspring exposed to maternal smoking in utero.