Mother's Pre-pregnancy BMI and Placental Candidate miRNAs: Findings from the ENVIRONAGE Birth Cohort

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Abstract

There is increasing evidence that the predisposition for development of chronic diseases arises at the earliest times of life. In this context, maternal pre-pregnancy weight might modify fetal metabolism and the child's predisposition to develop disease later in life. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and miRNA alterations in placental tissue at birth. In 211 mother-newborn pairs from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort, we assessed placental expression of seven miRNAs important in crucial cellular processes implicated in adipogenesis and/or obesity. Multiple linear regression models were used to address the associations between pre-pregnancy BMI and placental candidate miRNA expression. Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI averaged (±SD) 23.9 (±4.1) kg/m2. In newborn girls (not in boys) placental miR-20a, miR-34a and miR-222 expression was lower with higher maternal pre-pregnancy BMI. In addition, the association between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and placental expression of these miRNAs in girls was modified by gestational weight gain. The lower expression of these miRNAs in placenta in association with pre-pregnancy BMI, was only evident in mothers with low weight gain (<14 kg). The placental expression of miR-20a, miR-34a, miR-146a, miR-210 and miR-222 may provide a sex-specific basis for epigenetic effects of pre-pregnancy BMI.

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Tsamou, M., Martens, D. S., Winckelmans, E., Madhloum, N., Cox, B., Gyselaers, W., … Vrijens, K. (2017). Mother’s Pre-pregnancy BMI and Placental Candidate miRNAs: Findings from the ENVIRONAGE Birth Cohort. Scientific Reports, 7(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-04026-8

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