Transient Epigenomic Changes During Pregnancy and Early Postpartum in Women with and Without Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Aim: To investigate epigenomic changes in pregnancy and early postpartum in women with and without type 2 diabetes. Methods: Dimethylation of histones H3K4, H3K9, H3K27, H3K36 and H3K79 was measured in white blood cells of women at 30 weeks pregnancy, at 8–10 and 20 weeks postpartum and in never-pregnant women. Results: Dimethylation levels of all five histones were different between women in pregnancy and early postpartum compared with never-pregnant women and were different between women with and without type 2 diabetes. Conclusion: Histone methylation changes are transient in pregnancy and early postpartum and may represent normal physiological responses to hormones. Different epigenomic profiles in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus may correlate with hormonal responses, leading to high risk pregnancy outcomes.

Keywords::

• epigenetics
• histone methylation
• pregnancy
• type 2 diabetes mellitus

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.