Placental MEG3‐DMR methylation profile is associated with maternal glucose concentration and newborn birth weight

AIMS/INTRODUCTION Emerging evidence shows that epigenetic modifications occurring during fetal development in response to the intrauterine exposures could be one of the mechanisms involved in the early determinants of adult metabolic disorders. This study aimed to investigate whether the placental MEG3 DNA methylation profile is associated with maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) status and newborn birth weight. MATERIALS AND METHODS Samples for measurement were collected from 23 women with GDM and 23 healthy controls. MEG3 gene expression and DNA methylation levels were assessed using quantitative real-time PCR and MethylTargetTM, respectively. Pearson correlation analyses were used to examine associations between placental DNA methylation levels and clinical variables of interest. The associate results were adjusted by multivariate linear regression for maternal age, BMI, height, gestational age and newborn gender as confounders. RESULTS We found that the DNA methylation levels in the MEG3 differentially methylated region (MEG3-DMR) were significantly different between the GDM and control groups on the maternal side of the placenta (40.64 ± 2.15 vs. 38.33 ± 2.92; P=0.004). Furthermore, the mean MEG3 DNA methylation levels were correlated positively with maternal fasting glucose concentrations (R = 0.603, P<0.001) and newborn birth weight (R = 0.568, P<0.001). CONCLUSION The placental DNA methylation status in the MEG3-DMR was correlated with maternal glucose concentrations and newborn birth weight. These epigenetic adaptations might contribute to late-onset obesity underlining the adverse intrauterine environment.