Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36938998›Full record

ArticleAutism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research2023

A multi-omic approach identifies an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) regulatory complex of functional epimutations in placentas from children born preterm.

Anastasia N Freedman, Jeliyah Clark, Lauren A Eaves, Kyle Roell, Ali Oran, Lauren Koval, Julia Rager, Hudson P Santos, Karl Kuban, Robert M Joseph and 5 more

Open access · greenAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.7field-weighted citation impact, top 16% 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

3 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Placental biomarkers for the prediction of neurodevelopmental disorders.Frontiers in cell and developmental biology · 2025
    Review
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

15 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.

Anastasia N FreedmanDepartment of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6107-4642
Jeliyah ClarkDepartment of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Lauren A EavesDepartment of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Kyle RoellDepartment of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Ali OranDepartment of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9016-7853
Lauren KovalDepartment of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Julia RagerDepartment of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Hudson P SantosInstitute for Environmental Health Solutions, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Karl KubanDepartment of Pediatrics, Division of Child Neurology, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Robert M JosephDepartment of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-6879-0254
Jean FrazierEunice Kennedy Shriver Center, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School/University of Massachusetts Memorial Health Care, Worcester, Massachusetts, USA.
Carmen J MarsitGangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Amber A BurtGangarosa Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1813-6726
T Michael O'SheaDepartment of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Rebecca C FryDepartment of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill · USEmory University · USBoston Medical Center · USBoston University · USUniversity of Massachusetts Chan Medical School · US

Funding

UNC-CH CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH &SUSCEPTIBILITYP30ES010126 · NIEHS · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Hazel B Nichols · 2001 to 2026
$36.3M
Biostatstics for Research in Environmental HealthT32ES007018 · NIEHS · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Stephanie Engel, Rebecca Fry · 1985 to 2026
$31.3M
Pilot Project ProgramP30ES019776 · NIEHS · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI William Michael Caudle · 2013 to 2026
$22.6M
The UNC Chapel Hill Superfund Research Program (UNC-SRP)P42ES031007 · NIEHS · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Kathleen M Gray · 2020 to 2026
$22.2M
The Role of the Placenta-Brain Axis in Children's NeurodevelopmentUH3OD023348 · OD · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI Rebecca Fry, Michael O'SHEA · 2018 to 2026
$21.9M
Preclinical CoreP50HD103573 · NICHD · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI GABRIEL S DICHTER · 2020 to 2026
$9.7M
Placental Epigenome and Brain Dysfunction after Preterm BirthR01HD092374 · NICHD · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI FRY, REBECCA, O'SHEA, MICHAEL · 2017 to 2021
$3.2M
Public health priority setting for environmental metals mixtures and birth defectsR01ES029531 · NIEHS · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI FRY, REBECCA · 2018 to 2021
$1.2M
Enriching the Rhode Island Child Health StudyU24ES028507 · NIEHS · EMORY UNIVERSITY · PI MARSIT, CARMEN JOSEPH, STROUD, LAURA R · 2023 to 2025
$1.0M
NICHD NIH HHS P50 HD103573NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD092374NIEHS NIH HHS P30 ES010126NIEHS NIH HHS P30 ES019776NIEHS NIH HHS P42 ES031007NIEHS NIH HHS R01 ES029531NIEHS NIH HHS T32 ES007018NIEHS NIH HHS U24 ES028507NIH HHS UH3 OD023348
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Children born preterm are at heightened risk of neurodevelopmental impairments, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The placenta is a key regulator of neurodevelopmental processes, though the precise underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we employed a multi-omic approach to identify placental transcriptomic and epigenetic modifications related to ASD diagnosis at age 10, among children born preterm. Working with the extremely low gestational age (ELGAN) cohort, we hypothesized that a pro-inflammatory placental environment would be predictive of ASD diagnosis at age 10. Placental messenger RNA (mRNA) expression, CpG methylation, and microRNA (miRNA) expression were compared among 368 ELGANs (28 children diagnosed with ASD and 340 children without ASD). A total of 111 genes displayed expression levels in the placenta that were associated with ASD. Within these ASD-associated genes is an ASD regulatory complex comprising key genes that predicted ASD case status. Genes with expression that predicted ASD case status included Ewing Sarcoma Breakpoint Region 1 (EWSR1) (OR: 6.57 (95% CI: 2.34, 23.58)) and Bromodomain Adjacent To Zinc Finger Domain 2A (BAZ2A) (OR: 0.12 (95% CI: 0.03, 0.35)). Moreover, of the 111 ASD-associated genes, nine (8.1%) displayed associations with CpG methylation levels, while 14 (12.6%) displayed associations with miRNA expression levels. Among these, LRR Binding FLII Interacting Protein 1 (LRRFIP1) was identified as being under the control of both CpG methylation and miRNAs, displaying an OR of 0.42 (95% CI: 0.17, 0.95). This gene, as well as others identified as having functional epimutations, plays a critical role in immune system regulation and inflammatory response. In summary, a multi-omic approach was used to identify functional epimutations in the placenta that are associated with the development of ASD in children born preterm, highlighting future avenues for intervention.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderMicroRNAsBromodomain Containing ProteinsChildChromosomal Proteins, Non-HistoneEpigenesis, GeneticFemaleHumansInfant, NewbornMultiomicsPlacentaPregnancyBAZ2A protein, humanBromodomain Containing ProteinsChromosomal Proteins, Non-HistoneMicroRNAsautism spectrum disorderCpG methylationepigeneticsmessenger RNAmicroRNAmulti-omicplacentapreterm birth

Identifiers

PMID36938998
PMCPMC10192070
OpenAlexW4327898100

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
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 Socratic graph.