A multi-omic analysis of birthweight in newborn cord blood reveals new underlying mechanisms related to cholesterol metabolism

Background Birthweight reflects in utero exposures and later health evolution. Despite existing studies employing high-dimensional molecular measurements, the understanding of underlying mechanisms of birthweight remains limited. Methods To investigate the systems biology of birthweight, we cross-sectionally integrated the methylome, the transcriptome, the metabolome and a set of inflammatory proteins measured in cord blood samples, collected from four birth-cohorts (n = 489). We focused on two sets of 68 metabolites and 903 CpGs previously related to birthweight and investigated the correlation structures existing between these two sets and all other omic features via bipartite Pearson correlations. Results This dataset revealed that the set of metabolome and methylome signatures of birthweight have seven signals in common, including three metabolites [PC(34:2), plasmalogen PC(36:4)/PC(O-36:5), and a compound with m/z of 781.0545], two CpGs (on the DHCR24 and SC4MOL gene), and two proteins (periostin and CCL22). CCL22, a macrophage-derived chemokine has not been previously identified in relation to birthweight. Since the results of the omics integration indicated the central role of cholesterol metabolism, we explored the association of cholesterol levels in cord blood with birthweight in the ENVIRONAGE cohort (n = 1097), finding that higher birthweight was associated with increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and that high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was lower in small versus large for gestational age newborns. Conclusions Our data suggests that an integration of different omic-layers in addition to single omics studies is a useful approach to generate new hypotheses regarding biological mechanisms. CCL22 and cholesterol metabolism in cord blood play a mechanistic role in birthweight.
Highlights • Using multiple omics, we provide an unprecedented window into the biological processes underlying birthweight. • We identified molecular signals never previously linked to birthweight, e.g. gene expression of JAK3 and chemokine CCL22. • Our data suggested that cholesterol and related metabolic pathways are related to birthweight. • The identified signals may create a molecular basis for the onset of health outcomes associated with birthweight variation.