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National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

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Publication Detail

Title: Circulating early- and mid-pregnancy microRNAs and risk of gestational diabetes.

Authors: Wander, Pandora L; Boyko, Edward J; Hevner, Karin; Parikh, Viraj J; Tadesse, Mahlet G; Sorensen, Tanya K; Williams, Michelle A; Enquobahrie, Daniel A

Published In Diabetes Res Clin Pract, (2017 Oct)

Abstract: Epigenetic regulators, including microRNAs (miRNAs), are implicated in type 2 diabetes, but evidence linking circulating miRNAs in pregnancy and risk of gestational diabetes (GDM) is sparse. Potential modifiers, including pre-pregnancy overweight/obesity and offspring sex, are unexamined. We hypothesized that circulating levels of early-mid-pregnancy (range 7-23weeks of gestation) candidate miRNAs are related to subsequent development of GDM. We also hypothesized that miRNA-GDM associations might vary by pre-pregnancy body-mass index (ppBMI) or offspring sex.In a case-control analysis (36GDM cases/80 controls) from the Omega study, a prospective cohort study of pregnancy complications, we measured early-mid-pregnancy plasma levels of 10miRNAs chosen for potential roles in pregnancy course and complications (miR-126-3p, -155-5p, -21-3p, -146b-5p, -210-3p, -222-3p, -223-3p, -517-5p, -518a-3p, and 29a-3p) using qRT-PCR. Logistic regression models adjusted for gestational age at blood draw (GA) were fit to compare circulating miRNAs between cases and controls. We repeated analyses among overweight/obese (ppBMI≥25kg/m2) or lean (ppBMI<25kg/m2) women, and women with male or female offspring separately.Mean age was 34.3years (cases) and 32.9years (controls). GA-adjusted miR-155-5p (β=0.260/p=0.028) and -21-3p (β=0.316/p=0.005) levels were positively associated with GDM. MiR-146b-5p (β=0.266/p=0.068) and miR-517-5p (β=0.196/p=0.074) were borderline. Associations of miR-21-3p and miR-210-3p with GDM were observed among overweight/obese but not lean women. Associations of six miRNAs (miR-155-5p, -21-3p, -146b-5p, -223-3p, -517-5p, and -29a-3p) with GDM were present only among women carrying male fetuses (all p<0.05).Circulating early-mid-pregnancy miRNAs are associated with GDM, particularly among women who are overweight/obese pre-pregnancy or pregnant with male offspring. This area has potential to clarify mechanisms underlying GDM pathogenesis and identify at-risk mothers earlier in pregnancy.

PubMed ID: 28783527 Exiting the NIEHS site

MeSH Terms: Adult; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/genetics*; Diabetes, Gestational/genetics*; Female; Humans; Male; MicroRNAs/metabolism*; Obesity/complications*; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications/genetics*; Risk

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