title: Maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index and circulating microRNAs in pregnancy.
abstract: Maternal pre-pregnancy overweight and obese status has been associated with a number of pregnancy complications and adverse offspring outcomes. Mechanisms for observed associations, however, are largely unknown. We investigated associations of pre-pregnancy body mass index with early-mid pregnancy epigenetic biomarkers, circulating microRNAs.
  
  
  
  Peripheral blood was collected from participants (16-27 weeks gestation) of two multi-racial pregnancy cohorts, the Omega Study and the Pregnancy Outcomes and Community Health Study. Plasma miRNA expression was characterised using epigenome-wide (319 miRNAs) profiling among 20 pregnant women in each cohort. Cohort-specific linear regression models that included the predictor (pre-pregnancy body mass index), the outcome (microRNA expression), and adjustment factors (maternal age, gestational age at blood collection, and race) were fit.
  
  
  
  Expression of 27 miRNAs was positively associated with pre-pregnancy body mass index in both cohorts (p-values <0.05). A number of these differentially expressed miRNAs have previously been associated with adipogenesis (e.g. let-7d*, miR-103-2*, -130b, -146b-5-p, -29c, and -26b). Identified miRNAs as well as their experimentally validated targets participate in pathways that involve organismal injury, reproductive system disease, connective tissue disorders, cancer, cellular development, growth and proliferation.
  
  
  
  Pre-pregnancy body mass index is associated with circulating miRNAs in early-mid pregnancy.
authors: Center for Perinatal Studies, Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA; Department of Epidemiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors: Daniel A
authors: DA
authors: Enquobahrie
authors: Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. Electronic address: lwander@u.washington.edu.
authors: Pandora L
authors: PL
authors: Wander
authors: Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA.
authors: Mahlet G
authors: MG
authors: Tadesse
authors: Center for Perinatal Studies, Swedish Medical Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors: Chunfang
authors: C
authors: Qiu
authors: Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors: Claudia
authors: C
authors: Holzman
authors: Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
authors: Michelle A
authors: MA
authors: Williams
mesh_terms: D050156:Adipogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D000074166:Circulating MicroRNA / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood; D050177:Overweight / Q000097:blood; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000074166:Circulating MicroRNA
keywords: Epigenetics; MicroRNAs; Pre-pregnancy obesity; Pregnancy