Global mRNA and Long Non-Coding RNA Expression in the Placenta and White Adipose Tissue of Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet During Pregnancy

Abstract

Background/Aims: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication of pregnancy, but the mechanisms underlying the disorders remain unclear. The study aimed to identify mRNA and long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) profiles in placenta and gonadal fat of pregnant mice fed a high-fat diet and to investigate the transcripts and pathways involved in the development of gestational diabetes mellitus. Methods: Deep and broad transcriptome profiling was performed to assess the expression of mRNAs and lncRNAs in placenta and gonadal fat from 3 mice fed an HFD and chow during pregnancy. Then, differentially expressed mRNAs and lncRNAs were validated by quantitative real-time PCR. The function of the differentially expressed mRNAs was determined by pathway and Gene Ontology (GO) analyses, and the physical or functional relationships between the lncRNAs and the corresponding mRNAs were determined. Results: Our study revealed that 82 mRNAs and 52 lncRNAs were differentially expressed in the placenta of mice fed an HFD during pregnancy, and 202 mRNAs and 120 lncRNAs were differentially expressed in gonadal fat. GO and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway analyses revealed differentially expressed mRNAs of placenta were closely related to extracellular matrix interactions, digestion, adhesion, and metabolism, whereas the differentially expressed mRNAs in adipose tissue were related to metabolic and insulin signalling pathways. The gene network demonstrated that Actg2, Cnfn, Muc16, Serpina3k, NONMMUT068202, and NONMMUT068203, were the core of the network in placental tissue, and the genes Tkt, Acss2, and Elovl6 served as the core of the network in gonadal fat tissue. Conclusion: These newly identified key genes and pathways in mice might provide valuable information regarding the pathogenesis of GDM and might be used to improve early diagnosis, prevention, drug design, and clinical treatment.

Maternal Obesity Related to High Fat Diet Induces Placenta Remodeling and Gut Microbiome Shaping That Are Responsible for Fetal Liver Lipid Dysmetabolism

“…Mice with targeted disruption in the gene for Elovl6 (Elovl6 –/–) are resistant to diet-induced insulin resistance ( 42 ). Huang et al demonstrated that Actg2, Cnfn, Muc16, and Serpina3k are at the gene network core in the placental tissue and that the genes Tkt, Acss2, and Elovl6 served as the network core in the gonadal fat tissue for mice with an HF diet ( 43 ). In our study, Elovl6 gene expression was greatly repressed in the placenta of the rats with an HF diet.…”

Analysis of gene co‑expression network reveals prognostic significance of CNFN in patients with head and neck cancer

“…There are few reports on CNFN, and no reports verifying its function, to the best of our knowledge. Huang et al (37) revealed that CNFN was one of the core genes in the placental tissue involved in the development of gestational diabetes mellitus. Michibata et al (38) demonstrated that CNFN had increased expression in psoriatic skin.…”

Inhibition of Col6a5 Improve Lipid Metabolism Disorder in Dihydrotestosterone-Induced Hyperandrogenic Mice

“…mRNA transcripts were analyzed after using GCBI to filter out genes with detection rates below 50% in the overall expression profile. The mRNAs between the comparison groups exhibited expression fold-changes ≥ 2 and p -values ≤ 0.01, which were considered significant ( Huang et al, 2018 ). Gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was conducted on the desktop version of the GSEA software (v.4.1.0).…”