Cohort profile: Pregnancy and childhood epigenetics (PACE) consortium

Citation: 
Felix JF, Joubert BR, Baccarelli AA, Sharp GC, Almqvist C, Annesi-Maesano ,Arshad, H., Baiz, N., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M.J., Bakulski, K.M., Binder, E.B., Bouchard, L., Breton, C.V., Brunekreef, B,. Brunst, K.J., Burchard, E.G., Bustamante, M., Chatzi, L., Munthe-Kaas, M.C., Corpeleijn, E., Czamara, D., Dabelea, D., Smith, G.D., De Boever, P., Duijts, L., Dwyer, T., Eng, C., Eskenazi, B., Everson, T.M., Falahi, F., Fallin, M.D., Farchi, S., Fernandez, M.F., Gao, L., Gaunt, T.R., Ghantous, A., Gillman, M.W., Gonseth, S., Grote, V., Gruzieva, O., Håberg, S.E., Herceg, Z., Hivert, M.-F., Holland, N., Holloway, J.W., Hoyo, C., Hu, D., Huang, R.-C.,  et al. Cohort profile: Pregnancy and childhood epigenetics (PACE) consortium. Int J Epidemiol. 2018;47(1):22-3u.

Keywords: 
Article, body mass, child health, childhood, childhood disease, DNA methylationepigeneticsfollow upgenetic variability, human maternal smoking, phenotype, pregnancy, priority journal

Abstract:
The efforts by this Consortium and many other researchers represent the first steps in the discovery of the role of DNA methylation in health and disease. Results from EWAS meta-analyses do not stand on their own. Discovery results from EWAs need to be followed by investigation of the relationships between DNA methylation and gene expression, of the roles of biological pathways on outcomes and of causality between exposures and DNA methylation. Conversely, results from laboratory scientists may inspire new analyses of DNA methylation in human studies. Many methodological issues need to be resolved. The PACE Consortium offers a strong platform to address these points and to contribute to the field of population epigenetics in the future.

Abstract: