# Effect of the Placental Epigenome on Stunting in a Longitudinal African Cohort

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · 2020 · $576,904

## Abstract

Project Summary
Stunting is a global health problem that is common in low and middle-income countries where one
third of children under 5 years of age are affected6. Africa has the highest rates of stunting and is the
continent that has shown the least improvement in the prevalence of stunting in recent years. Small
mothers tend to give birth to small babies, but the epigenetic mechanisms that underlie this
correlation are poorly understood. This study of 145 imprinted genes in placentas from 600 mothers
will test the hypothesis that genetic imprinting plays a role in the inter-generational transmission of
stunting. This research is innovative because it takes advantage of a prospective cohort study of a
rural African population in which 1144 subjects (F1 generation) are followed from infancy, through
childhood, to first parenthood. Data are also being gathered on their parents (F0 generation) and
offspring (F2 generation). This study combines these longitudinal data, spanning 3 generations, with
the analysis of allele-specific expression of placental genes. According to the conflict hypothesis5,
growth-inhibiting genes are repressed on the paternal alleles and growth-promoting genes are
repressed on the maternal alleles. The degree of imprinting varies between individuals and we
hypothesize that this normal variation is the mechanism by which stunting is transmitted from one
generation to the next. Aim 1 will find out if maternal stunting and catch-up growth affect the level of
imprinting in 145 placental genes. Aim 2 will find out if loss of imprinting of placental genes leads to
offspring stunting, as measured by supine length at birth and at later follow-up. Aim 3 will test the
effect of urban migration in late adolescence, and the associated improvement in nutrition, on the
level of imprinting in 145 genes. The placental collections will be carried out by trained consultants
who belong to the same ethnic group as the study population, namely the Dogon of central Mali. The
study site is located in the District of Bandiagara and is peaceful; the principal investigator and her
collaborators have been able to visit the site every year for the past five years. The research team
has field-tested all the protocols and collected 77 placentas, which have already been partly analyzed
in the PI's laboratory at the University of Michigan. The imprinted genes are sufficiently heterozygous
to differentiate maternal from paternal alleles. A combination of PCR and deep sequencing will be
used to measure loss of imprinting with high accuracy. As stunting leads to a wide array of health
problems from poor cognitive function to metabolic syndrome7, it is important to understand how it is
transmitted to the next generation. The proposed study is basic science that is necessary for the
eventual discovery of interventions and policies that prevent stunting and its adverse effects on the
quality of life.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9962435
- **Project number:** 5R01HD088521-05
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR
- **Principal Investigator:** Beverly Ilse Strassmann
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $576,904
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-16 → 2021-12-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9962435

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9962435, Effect of the Placental Epigenome on Stunting in a Longitudinal African Cohort (5R01HD088521-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9962435. Licensed CC0.

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