प्रेस कवरेज

A recent collaborative study led by Giriraj R Chandak, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, examined height differences among children in low and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared to high-income countries (HICs). They discovered that besides genetic factors, epigenetic modifications, particularly in the SOCS3 gene, significantly influence height, showing potential implications for childhood interventions to reduce future non-communicable disease risks.

Height is an important feature of an individual, besides being a risk factor for the future development of non-communicable diseases like diabetes and cardiovascular disorders. Children in low and middle-income countries (LMIC) show more stunting than those in high-income countries (HIC). While as many as 12,000 genetic variants are known to be associated with human height, these variants only correlate with a person’s height around 40% of the time, and that too largely in the HIC such as Europe. Giriraj R Chandak, Chief Scientist, CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, and his collaborators shed light on what might be happening in other cases, especially in LMICs, in their recent study published in Nature Communications.

This study involved scientists, clinicians, and public health researchers who have been a part of long-term longitudinal studies examining the effect of maternal nutrition on children’s health. They had previously observed positive correlations between the mother’s nutritional status before and during pregnancy on their child’s height and future non-communicable disease risk. DNA methylation, a gene modification in response to various environmental conditions such as nutrition, can either enhance or inhibit the expression of various genes. This control of gene expression by chemical modification of genes is called epigenetic regulation. In this latest study, the group sought to find out if height is controlled epigenetically during childhood.

The scientists collected blood samples of people, categorised them by their age groups, and looked for methylation signatures on 850,000 known sites of DNA methylation, and 650,000 known genetic variants. They checked for independent genetic and epigenetic association with a person’s height. ​“Our study pinpointed to altered methylation in three DNA regions, all of them are known to be a part of the Suppressor of Cytokine Signalling 3 (SOCS3) gene. This gene is known for its role in bone formation and skeletal development in humans.

And this study shows an inverse relationship between SOCS3 methylation and stunting; more the methylation at this site, lesser are the chances of stunting. Further, DNA methylation at SOCS3 was also associated with height of individuals aged 21 years suggesting a causal role of SOCS3 DNA methylation,” said Chandak.