Maternal Immune ActivatioN, Gene Expression & the Immune System --- DNA & RNA Methylation

​"DNA methylation is the addition of a methyl group to the molecular structure of DNA, which then alters the gene expression."

​DNA and RNA methylation directly linked for the first time (2025)

Val's Take/ Conjecture

• I think  "Lifestyle Choices" are important AND so are DNA Methylation Patterns established In Utero.​
• There is a certain amount of "FETAL PROGRAMMING" that seems to be going on that we feel highly uncomfortable acknowledging.
• These are DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS --- if we are missing that --- we're missing the boat.

​​RNA m6A methylation in psychiatric disorders (2023)

Genetic evidence for causal effects of immune dysfunction in psychiatric disorders: where are we? (2024)

​"Here we synthesize these new findings from genomics and genetic causal inference studies on the role of immune dysfunction in major psychiatric disorders and reconcile these new data with pre-omics findings.

"By reconciling these evidences, we aim to identify key gaps and propose directions for future studies in the field."

​In Utero Exposures, Infant Growth, and DNA Methylation of Repetitive Elements and Developmentally Related Genes in Human Placenta  (2011)

​"DNA methylation patterns are essential for the growth and maintenance of tissue-specific expression profiles in different cell types during development, and these patterns become set during in utero development."

​Circadian Rhythms Correlated in DNA Methylation and Gene Expression Identified in Human Blood and Implicated in Psychiatric Disorders (2024)

​Towards a neurodevelopmental model of bipolar disorder: a critical review of trait- and state-related functional neuroimaging in adolescents and young adults (2025)

DNA and RNA methylation, initially thought to operate as distinct pathways, have been shown to interact closely, shifting our understanding of gene regulation. (2025)

Inhibition of aging-induced DNA hypermethylation by si-Dnmt3a/3b in pre-implantation embryos improves aberrant social behavior in offspring  (2025)

​"Our study indicates that male aging exert an influence not only on DNA methylation modification in sperm and pre-implantation embryo, but also on neurobehavioral abnormalities of their offspring.

"Repairing DNA methylation in pre-implantation embryos may offer a promising avenue for ameliorating abnormal social behavior in offspring."

​The Genesis of Schizophrenia: An Origin Story (2024)

"Ultimately, rather than a focus on therapeutic intervention during adolescence or adulthood, principles of prediction and prophylaxis in the pre- and perinatal and neonatal stages may best comport with the biology of schizophrenia to address the early-stage perturbations that alter the normative neurodevelopmental trajectory."