Environmental Factors Influence the Epigenetic Signature of Newborns from Mothers with Gestational Diabetes
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ABSTRACT: Here we investigated the degree by which epigenetic signatures in children from mothers with obesity or gestational diabetes mellitus are influenced by environmental factors. We profiled the DNA methylation signature of whole blood from lean, obese and gestational diabetes mellitus mothers and their respective newborns. DNA methylation profiles of mothers showed high similarity across groups, while on the contrary, newborns from GDM mothers showed a marked distinct epigenetic profile compared to newborns of both lean and obese mothers. Analysis of variance in DNA methylation levels between newborns showed higher variance in the GDM group. Our work suggest that environmental factors, rather than direct transmission of epigenetic marks from the mother, are involved in establishing the epigenetic signature associated with GDM.
Project description:Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling of umbilical cord blood buffy coat DNA samples. The Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC array was used to obtain DNA methylation profiles across approximately 850,000 CpGs. Samples included 557 cord blood samples born to obese women in the UPBEAT trial, with and without gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), to determine the association between maternal GDM and hyperglycaemia during pregnancy on the methylation in the infant.
Project description:Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), the most prevalent metabolic disorder during pregnancy, has long-term risks of metabolic diseases that might persist in adulthood. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we profiled 78,767 cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMCs) from GDM and healthy mothers’ fetuses by single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq).
Project description:Objective: To explore the characteristics and underlying molecular mechanisms of genome-scale expression profiles of women with- or without- gestational diabetes mellitus and their offspring. Materials and Methods: We recruited a group of 21 pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and 20 healthy pregnant women as controls. For each pregnant women, RRBS were performed using the placenta and paired neonatal umbilical cord blood specimens. Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were identified. Then, functional enrichment analysis was performed to differential methylated genes (DMGs) separately or interactively in placenta and umbilical cord blood. Results: Through the comparison of GDM and healthy samples, 2779 and 141 DMRs were identified from placenta and umbilical cord blood, respectively. Functional enrichment analysis showed that the placenta methylation and expression profiles of GDM women mirrored the molecular characteristics of “type II diabetes” and “insulin resistance”. Methylation-altered genes in umbilical cord blood were associated with pathways “type II diabetes” and “cholesterol metabolism”. DMGs illustrated significant overlaps among placenta and umbilical cord blood samples, and the overlapping DMGs were associated with cholesterol metabolism. Conclusions: Our research demonstrated the epigenomic alternations of GDM mothers and offspring. Our findings emphasized the importance of epigenetic modifications in the communication between pregnant women with GDM and offspring, and provided reference for the prevention, control, treatment, and intervention of perinatal deleterious events of GDM and neonatal complications.
Project description:Gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM) will bring health issues for offspring. The offspring of diabetic mothers often reveal high birth weight and are prone to have obesity, hypertension and dyslipidemia. It was implied that the phenotype of offspring might be influenced by intrauterine environment and planned in utero already in addition to the genetic influences.M-bM-^@M-^XProgrammingM-bM-^@M-^Y refers to the process whereby a stimulus at a critical window of development has long-term effects. A large body of studies investigated the adverse intrauterine environment was correlated with poor fetal growth and increased risk of Type 2 diabetes in the adulthood. Epigenetic mechanism has been proposed to involve in the link between environmental and nutritional factors and gene expression regulation. DNA methylation is one of the major epigenetic modifications. We hypothesized that DNA methylation changes could participate in the gene expression related to glucose intolerance in the offspring. Furthermore, DNA methylation might also determine the transgenerational disease transmission. comparison of intrauterine hyperglycemia exposed rats vs. control rats for genome-wide DNA methylation changes
Project description:Genome wide DNA methylation profiling of cord blood cells obtained from gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) pregnancies. The Illumina EPIC methylation beadchip array was used to obtain DNA methylation profiles across approximately 850,000 CpG dinucleotide methylation loci in DNA isolated from cord blood. Samples include 165 GDM subjects.
Project description:Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects approximately 18% of pregnancies in the United States and increases the risk of adverse health outcomes in the offspring. These adult disease propensities may be set by anatomical and molecular alterations in the placenta associated with GDM. To assess the mechanistic aspects of fetal programming, we measured genome-wide methylation (Infinium HumanMethylation450 Beadchips) and expression (Affymetrix Transcriptome Microarrays) in placental tissue of 41 GDM cases and 41 matched pregnancies without maternal complications from the Harvard Epigenetic Birth Cohort. Specific transcriptional and epigenetic perturbations associated with GDM status included alterations in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region, which were validated in an independent cohort, the Rhode Island Child Health Study. Gene ontology enrichment among gene regulation influenced by GDM revealed an over-representation of immune response pathways among differential expression, reflecting these coordinated changes in the MHC region. Our study represents the largest investigation of transcriptomic and methylomic differences associated with GDM, providing comprehensive insight into the molecular basis of GDM induced fetal (re)programming. Bisulphite converted DNA extracted from the placentas (maternal-side) of 41 clinically-confirmed cases of GDM and 41 pregnancies without maternal complications were hybridised to the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation450 Beadchips
Project description:Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects approximately 18% of pregnancies in the United States and increases the risk of adverse health outcomes in the offspring. These adult disease propensities may be set by anatomical and molecular alterations in the placenta associated with GDM. To assess the mechanistic aspects of fetal programming, we measured genome-wide methylation (Infinium HumanMethylation450 Beadchips) and expression (Affymetrix Transcriptome Microarrays) in placental tissue of 41 GDM cases and 41 matched pregnancies without maternal complications from the Harvard Epigenetic Birth Cohort. Specific transcriptional and epigenetic perturbations associated with GDM status included alterations in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region, which were validated in an independent cohort, the Rhode Island Child Health Study. Gene ontology enrichment among gene regulation influenced by GDM revealed an over-representation of immune response pathways among differential expression, reflecting these coordinated changes in the MHC region. Our study represents the largest investigation of transcriptomic and methylomic differences associated with GDM, providing comprehensive insight into the molecular basis of GDM induced fetal (re)programming. RNA extracted from the placentas (maternal-side) of 30 clinically-confirmed cases of GDM and 25 pregnancies without maternal complications was hybridised to the GeneChip® Human Transcriptome Array 2.0 (Affymetrix). Four samples were run in triplicate.
Project description:This study assesses fatty acid composition of lipids in matched maternal plasma and placental tissue from lean, obese and gestational diabetes (GDM) women stratified by fetal sex. Obesity and GDM are associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes and program the offspring for cardiometabolic disease in a sexually dimorphic manner. We collected maternal plasma and placental villous tissue following elective cesarean section at term from women who were lean (pre-pregnancy BMI 18.5-24.9), Obese (BMI>30) and type A2 GDM (matched to obese BMI) with either a male or female fetus (n=4 each group). Lipids were extracted and fatty acid composition of different lipid classes were analyzed by LC-MS/MS to find significant changes in GDM vs Obese, GDM vs Lean, and Obese vs Lean.
Project description:Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is the most common complication of pregnancy. Children of mothers with GDM are at an increased risk for the development of cardiometabolic disease later in life, though the mechanisms responsible for this observation are unknown. We propose that an altered cardiac transcriptome, programmed in utero, may be a contributing mechanism to cardiometabolic disease development and hypothesize that the hearts of offspring exposed to GDM will exhibit altered gene expression pathways. The purpose of this project will be to study alterations in the cardiac transcriptome of young adult rat offspring after exposure to GDM to investigate the mechanisms responsible for the developmental origins of cardiovascular disease.