Data from: Multicohort analysis unveils role for axon guidance pathways linking small for gestational age to spirometric restriction

Children born small for gestational age (SGA) are at risk for the
development of metabolic, cardiovascular, respiratory, and
neurodevelopmental diseases and premature mortality, but the underlying
mechanisms are unknown. We analyze blood proteomic data from several birth
cohorts to elucidate molecular mechanisms related to SGA and subsequent
lung function outcomes in later life. We found that one-third of children
born SGA manifest a distinct molecular endotype characterized by axon
guidance protein dysregulation in cord blood. In later life, peripheral
blood, these proteins were inversely related to concurrent spirometric
restriction. We obtained orthogonal evidence from GWAS data and an
experimental sheep model to show axon guidance genes are associated with
spirometry measurements (FEV1/FVC) at genome-wide significance and are
commonly expressed during fetal development of multiple organs. Our
findings provide new insights into the developmental origins of chronic
diseases and pave the way for further study of axon guidance cues in
multiorgan morbidity. This Dryad repository contains the scRNA-Seq dataset
for the sheep model of the linked manuscript.