Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37170172›Full record

ArticleClinical epigenetics2023

Capturing sex-specific and hypofertility-linked effects of assisted reproductive technologies on the cord blood DNA methylome.

Sophia Rahimi, Xiaojian Shao, Donovan Chan, Josée Martel, Anick Bérard, William D Fraser, Marie-Michelle Simon, Tony Kwan, Guillaume Bourque, Jacquetta Trasler

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Clinical epigenetics, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
3.5field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Genetic and Epigenetic Risks of Male Infertility in ART.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Sophia RahimiResearch Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Xiaojian ShaoDigital Technologies Research Centre, National Research Council Canada, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Donovan ChanResearch Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Josée MartelResearch Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Anick BérardResearch Unit On Medications and Pregnancy, Research Centre, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montreal, Canada.
William D FraserDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Université de Sherbrooke and Centre de Recherche du CHUS, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
Marie-Michelle SimonMcGill University Genome Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Tony KwanMcGill University Genome Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Guillaume BourqueMcGill University Genome Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Jacquetta TraslerResearch Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, QC, Canada. jacquetta.trasler@mcgill.ca.
McGill University Health Centre · CAMcGill Genome Centre · CAUniversité Claude Bernard Lyon 1 · FRUniversité de Sherbrooke · CAUniversity of Ottawa · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChildren conceived through assisted reproduction are at an increased risk for growth and genomic imprinting disorders, often linked to DNA methylation defects. It has been suggested that assisted reproductive technology (ART) and underlying parental infertility can induce epigenetic instability, specifically interfering with DNA methylation reprogramming events during germ cell and preimplantation development. To date, human studies exploring the association between ART and DNA methylation defects have reported inconsistent or inconclusive results, likely due to population heterogeneity and the use of technologies with limited coverage of the epigenome. In our study, we explored the epigenetic risk of ART by comprehensively profiling the DNA methylome of 73 human cord blood samples of singleton pregnancies (n = 36 control group, n = 37 ART/hypofertile group) from a human prospective longitudinal birth cohort, the 3D (Design, Develop, Discover) Study, using a high-resolution sequencing-based custom capture panel that examines over 2.4 million autosomal CpGs in the genome.

resultsWe identified evidence of sex-specific effects of ART/hypofertility on cord blood DNA methylation patterns. Our genome-wide analyses identified ~ 46% more CpGs affected by ART/hypofertility in female than in male infant cord blood. We performed a detailed analysis of three imprinted genes which have been associated with altered DNA methylation following ART (KCNQ1OT1, H19/IGF2 and GNAS) and found that female infant cord blood was associated with DNA hypomethylation. When compared to less invasive procedures such as intrauterine insemination, more invasive ARTs (in vitro fertilization, intracytoplasmic sperm injection, embryo culture) resulted in more marked and distinct effects on the cord blood DNA methylome. In the in vitro group, we found a close to fourfold higher proportion of significantly enriched Gene Ontology terms involved in development than in the in vivo group.

conclusionsOur study highlights the ability of a sensitive, targeted, sequencing-based approach to uncover DNA methylation perturbations in cord blood associated with hypofertility and ART and influenced by offspring sex and ART technique invasiveness.

Indexed as

DNA MethylationEpigenomeChildFemaleFetal BloodGenome-Wide Association StudyGenomic ImprintingHumansMalePregnancyProspective StudiesReproductive Techniques, AssistedSemenAssisted reproductive technologyCord bloodDNA methylationGenomic imprintingHypofertilityInfertilitySex specific

Identifiers

PMID37170172
PMCPMC10176895
OpenAlexW4376134282

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.