DNA methylation differences at birth after conception through ART

Area of Science:

• Epigenetics and Reproductive Medicine
• Neonatal Health and Development
• Genomic Imprinting

Background:

• Previous research on assisted reproductive technology (ART) and DNA methylation (DNAm) has yielded conflicting results.
• Studies have reported both widespread and localized DNAm alterations following IVF or ICSI.
• No prior study has investigated genome-wide neonatal DNAm in relation to both IVF and ICSI.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between ART conception (IVF/ICSI) and DNA methylation patterns in cord blood.
• To determine if there are differences in DNA methylation patterns between infants conceived via IVF versus ICSI.
• To explore potential links between ART-associated DNAm changes and genes involved in brain function or subfertility.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 87 infants conceived via ART and 70 conceived naturally.
• DNA methylation was measured in cord blood DNA using a 450k microarray.
• Statistical analyses included robust linear models and Tukey's tests to identify group differences in DNA methylation at specific CpG sites.

Main Results:

• No association was found between ART conception and global methylation levels, imprinted loci, or meta-stable epialleles.
• DNA methylation at 19 specific CpG sites was associated with ART conception, with effect sizes ranging from 0.5-4.9%.
• No significant differences in DNA methylation were observed between infants conceived via IVF and ICSI.

Conclusions:

• ART conception is associated with a small number of specific DNA methylation differences in cord blood compared to natural conception.
• The identified DNA methylation changes are limited in effect size and their functional consequences remain unclear.
• This study found no evidence to suggest differences in DNA methylation patterns between IVF and ICSI conception.