- Title
- Solar cycle predicts folate-sensitive neonatal genotypes at discrete phases of the first trimester of pregnancy: a novel folate-related human embryo loss hypothesis
- Creator
- Lucock, Mark; Glanville, Tracey; Yates, Zoë; Walker, James; Furst, John; Simpson, Nigel
- Relation
- Medical Hypotheses Vol. 79, Issue 2, p. 210-215
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mehy.2012.04.039
- Publisher
- Churchill Livingstone
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2012
- Description
- Folate, a key periconceptional nutrient, is ultraviolet light (UV-R) sensitive. We therefore hypothesise that a relationship exists between sunspot activity, a proxy for total solar irradiance (particularly UV-R) reaching Earth, and the occurrence of folate-sensitive, epigenomic-related neonatal genotypes during the first trimester of pregnancy. Limited data is provided to support the hypothesis that the solar cycle predicts folate-related human embryo loss: 379 neonates born at latitude 54°N between 1998 and 2000 were examined for three folate-sensitive, epigenome-related polymorphisms, with solar activity for trimester one accessed via the Royal Greenwich Observatory-US Air force/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Sunspot Database (34,110 total observation days). Logistic regression showed solar activity predicts C677T-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (C677T-MTHFR) and A66G-methionine synthase reductase (A66G-MSR) genotype at discrete phases of trimester one. Total and maximal sunspot activity predicts C677T-MTHFR genotype for days 31–60 of trimester one (p = 0.0181 and 0.0366, respectively) and A66G-MSR genotype for days 61–90 of trimester one (p = 0.0072 and 0.0105, respectively). Loss of UV-R sensitive folate associated with the sunspot cycle might therefore interact with variant folate genes to perturb DNA methylation and/or elaboration of the primary base sequence (thymidylate synthesis), as well as increase embryo-toxic homocysteine. We hypothesise that this may influence embryo viability leading to 677CC-MTHFR and 66GG-MSR embryo loss at times of increased solar activity. This provides an interesting and plausible link between well recognised ‘folate gene originated developmental disorders’ and ‘solar activity/seasonality modulated developmental disorders’.
- Subject
- folate; sunspot; ultraviolet light; embryos
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1311704
- Identifier
- uon:22266
- Identifier
- ISSN:0306-9877
- Language
- eng
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