Microarray expression profile analysis of long non-coding RNAs in umbilical cord plasma reveals their potential role in gestational diabetes-induced macrosomia

Abstract

Background: Fetal macrosomia and its associated complications are the most frequent and serious morbidities for infants associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The associations between long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and macrosomia have been rarely reported; therefore, we investigated the umbilical cord lncRNA profiles in GDM macrosomia. Method: Thirty pairs of GDM macrosomia and normal controls were divided into three subgroups randomly, and the umbilical cord vein blood from each subgroup was mixed, and hybridized to a microarray containing probes representing 33,000 lncRNA genes. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used to validate selected differentially expressed lncRNAs. The gene ontology (GO), pathway and network analysis were performed. Result: The microarray identified 8814 lncRNAs that were expressed in the umbilical cord blood, of which 349 were significantly upregulated and 892 were significantly downregulated (fold-change ≥ 2.0) in GDM group. The highest enriched GOs targeted by downregulated transcripts were biological regulation. Pathway analysis indicated that nine pathways corresponded to downregulated transcripts. Conclusions: Certain lncRNAs that were aberrantly expressed in the umbilical cord blood from GDM macrosomia might play a partial or key role in GDM macrosomia development. This study provided potential targets for treatment of macrosomia and novel insights into macrosomia biology.