- Title
- Photoperiod at conception predicts C677T-MTHFR genotype: a novel gene-environment interaction
- Creator
- Lucock, Mark; Glanville, Tracey; Ovadia, Liz; Yates, Zoe; Walker, James; Simpson, Nigel
- Relation
- American Journal of Human Biology Vol. 22, Issue 4, p. 484-489
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajhb.21022
- Publisher
- John Wiley & Sons
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2010
- Description
- Data is presented, which suggest that the day length a woman experiences during the periconceptional period predicts the C677T-MTHFR genotype of her child. Logistic regression analysis involving 375 neonates born in the same geographical location within a three year period demonstrated that photoperiod (minutes) at conception predicts both genotype (P = 0.0139) and mutant allele carriage (P = 0.0161); the trend clearly showing that the 677T-MTHFR allele frequency increases as photoperiod increases. We propose a number of explanations, including a hypothesis in which a long photoperiod around conception decreases maternal systemic folate because of UVA induced dermal oxidative degradation of 5-methyl-H₄folate, leading to a lower cellular 5,10-methylene-H₄folate status. In this scenario, 5,10-methylene-H₄folate would be more efficiently used for dTMP and DNA synthesis by 677T-MTHFR embryos than wildtype embryos giving the 677T-MTHFR embryos increased viability, and hence increasing mutant T-allele frequency. Alternate hypotheses include: increased seasonal availability of folate rich foods that genetically buffer any negative effect of 677T-MTHFR in embryos; seasonal oxidative stress lowering embryo-toxic homocysteine; an undefined hormonal effect of photoperiod on the neuroendocrine axis, which mediates genotype/embryo selection. The effect of photoperiod on genotype seems clear, but the speculative molecular mechanism underpinning the effect needs careful examination.
- Subject
- neural tube defects; single nucleotide polymorphisms; early pregnancy; loss
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/927975
- Identifier
- uon:10304
- Identifier
- ISSN:1042-0533
- Language
- eng
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