RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 In utero exposure to chlordecone affects histone modifications and activates LINE-1 in cord blood JF Life Science Alliance JO Life Sci. Alliance FD Life Science Alliance LLC SP e202000944 DO 10.26508/lsa.202000944 VO 4 IS 6 A1 Louis Legoff A1 Shereen Cynthia D’Cruz A1 Katia Bouchekhchoukha A1 Christine Monfort A1 Christian Jaulin A1 Luc Multigner A1 Fatima Smagulova YR 2021 UL https://www.life-science-alliance.org/content/4/6/e202000944.abstract AB Environmental factors can induce detrimental consequences into adulthood life. In this study, we examined the epigenetic effects induced by in utero chlordecone (CD) exposure on human male cord blood as well as in blood-derived Ke-37 cell line. Genome-wide analysis of histone H3K4me3 distribution revealed that genes related to chromosome segregation, chromatin organization, and cell cycle have altered occupancy in their promoters. The affected regions were enriched in ESR1, SP family, and IKZF1 binding motifs. We also observed a global reduction in H3K9me3, markedly in repeated sequences of the genome. Decrease in H3K9me3 after CD exposure correlates with decreased methylation in LINE-1 promoters and telomere length extension. These observations on human cord blood were assessed in the Ke-37 human cell line. H3K4me3 and the expression of genes related to immune response, DNA repair, and chromatin organization, which were affected in human cord blood were also altered in CD-exposed Ke-37 cells. Our data suggest that developmental exposure to CD leads to profound changes in histone modification patterns and affects the processes controlled by them in human cord blood.