PERSPECTIVE article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrigenomics
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1681847
Perinatal Nutrition as a Key Regulator of Genomic Imprinting: A New Paradigm for Maternal-Child Health
Provisionally accepted- 1Stanford Prevention Research Center, Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, United States
- 2Needed PBC, Los Angeles, United States
- 3GrowBaby Life Project, Ashland, United States
- 4NC State University Center for Human Heath and the Environment, Raleigh, United States
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Abstract Genomic imprinting, characterized by parent-of-origin specific gene expression, represents a critical molecular bridge between early life exposures and long-term health outcomes. Unlike most epigenetic marks, inherited gametic imprint control regions normally remain stable across tissues and throughout life, making them valuable biomarkers of early environmental influences. Recent technological advances, particularly the Human Imprintome array, have enabled comprehensive assessment of 1,488 putative imprint control regions (ICRs) that influence development, metabolism, and disease susceptibility, although ongoing experimental validation continues to refine the identification of bona fide ICRs.. This perspective explores how maternal and paternal nutrition modifies offspring genomic imprinting patterns with lasting health consequences. We examine evidence from human cohort studies and experimental models demonstrating that periconceptional nutritional status affects methylation at key imprinted regions controlling growth and metabolism. Particular focus is given to one-carbon metabolism nutrients (e.g., folate, vitamin B12, choline) as critical regulators of imprinting establishment and maintenance. We propose that optimizing parental nutrition before and during pregnancy represents a powerful strategy for improving offspring health trajectories by promoting favorable imprinting patterns. The integration of imprintome analysis into maternal care offers unprecedented opportunities for personalized nutritional guidance, and early detection of epigenetic disruptions that may influence lifelong health.
Keywords: epigenetics1, Genomic Imprinting2, Perinatal Nutrition3, Imprintome4, one-carbon metabolism (OCM)
Received: 07 Aug 2025; Accepted: 16 Oct 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Aronica, Fessler, Stone-Rydbom and Jirtle. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Lucia Aronica, laronica@stanford.edu
Randy L Jirtle, rljirtle@ncsu.edu
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.