Potential Epigenetic Biomarkers for Preeclampsia Preterm Birth and Preventative Medicine

Preterm birth has dramatically increased within the population (i.e., >10%) and preeclampsia is one of the most unanticipated sub-categories of preterm birth. No clinical parameter or biomarkers exists for preeclampsia preterm birth, except for high blood pressure toward the end of pregnancy. The current study investigates the potential use of epigenetic (DNA methylation) alterations as a preeclampsia biomarker. Non-preeclampsia term births were compared to preeclampsia preterm births to identify methylation differences. Buccal cell cheek swabs were used as a marker cell for systemic epigenetic alterations in the individuals. A total of 389 differential DNA methylation regions (DMRs) were identified and associated with the presence of preeclampsia. The DMRs were genome-wide and were predominantly low CpG density (<2 CpG/100 bp). In comparison with a previous preterm birth epigenetic biomarker there was a 15% (60 DMR) overlap, indicating the majority of the DMRs are unique for preeclampsia. Overall design: Buccal samples were collected from mother-infant pairs following delivery. Methylated DNA immunoprecipitation (MeDIP) was performed on the buccal cell DNA samples. The MeDIP was followed by DNA sequencing (MeDIP-Seq). Differential DNA methylation regions (DMRs) were identified between preeclampsia and control samples. The samples used in this study are a combination of newly acquired samples and samples from a previous related study (PMID: 35232984).