Rwandan genocides chemically modified the DNA of victims and victims' offspring

Date:
January 11, 2022
Source:
University of South Florida (USF Innovation)
Summary:
Scientists have taken a significant step in providing the people
of Rwanda the scientific tools they need to help address mental
health issues that stemmed from the 1994 genocides of the Tutsi
ethnic group.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Scientists with the USF Genomics program and Center for Global Health and Infectious Disease Research have taken a significant step in providing
the people of Rwanda the scientific tools they need to help address
mental health issues that stemmed from the 1994 genocides of the Tutsi
ethnic group.


==========================================================================
In a first of its kind study, Professors Monica Uddin and Derek Wildman
of the College of Public Health looked at the entire genomes of Tutsi
women who were pregnant and living in Rwanda at the time of the genocide
and their offspring and compared their DNA to other Tutsi women pregnant
at the same time and their offspring, who were living in other parts of
the world.

In the study published in Epigenomics, they found that the terror of
genocide was associated with chemically modifications to the DNA of genocide-exposed women and their offspring. Many of these modifications occurred in genes previously implicated in risk for mental disorders
such as PTSD and depression.

These findings suggest that, unlike gene mutations, these chemical
"epigenetic" modifications can have a rapid response to trauma across generations.

"Epigenetics refers to stable, but reversible, chemical modifications
made to DNA that help to control a gene's function," Uddin said. "These
can happen in a shorter time frame than is needed for changes to
the underlying DNA sequence of genes. Our study found that prenatal
genocide exposure was associated with an epigenetic pattern suggestive of reduced gene function in offspring." The team, which includes Clarisse Musanabaganwa, a visiting scholar from the University of Rwanda and her colleagues, came to their conclusion following the review of DNA from
blood samples from 59 individuals -- about half exposed personally
or exposed in utero to the genocide. Exposure is defined as being
impacted by genocide-related trauma, such as rape or evading capture, witnessing murder or serious attack with a weapon and seeing dead and
mutilated bodies.

The novel study is part of a larger consortium, the Human, Heredity &
Health in Africa (H3), which is funded by the National Institutes of
Health. It's an effort to empower scientists in Africa in genomics,
increasing their independence and ability to build the infrastructure
needed to enhance genetic studies across the continent, and ultimately
better capture data on the human genome across the world.

"The Rwandan people who are in this study and community as a whole
really want to know what happened to them because there's a lot of PTSD
and other mental health disorders in Rwanda and people want answers as
to why they're experiencing these feelings and having these issues,"
Wildman said.

While this study looks specifically at the impact of the 1994 Rwandan
genocide, it supports previous studies that show what occurs during
pregnancy when one is a fetus can have long-term impacts -- many symptoms
not appearing until later in life. Such evidence proves the need to
enhance efforts to protect the safety and emotional and psychological
wellbeing of pregnant women.

Researchers point out that individuals who were in utero during the
genocide are starting to have children of their own and they hope to
soon look at whether or not that trauma has had an epigenetic impact
on the third generation. They're now awaiting a new, larger batch of
DNA samples to find out how trauma can impact risk for specific mental
health disorders, like PTSD.

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for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Clarisse Musanabaganwa, Agaz H Wani, Janelle Donglasan, Segun
Fatumo,
Stefan Jansen, Jean Mutabaruka, Eugene Rutembesa, Annette Uwineza,
Erno J Hermans, Benno Roozendaal, Derek E Wildman, Leon Mutesa,
Monica Uddin.

Leukocyte methylomic imprints of exposure to the genocide against
the Tutsi in Rwanda: a pilot epigenome-wide analysis. Epigenomics,
2022; 14 (1): 11 DOI: 10.2217/epi-2021-0310 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/01/220111112012.htm

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