LncRNA-SNX17 Promotes HTR-8/SVneo Proliferation and Invasion Through miR-517a/IGF-1 in the Placenta of Diabetic Macrosomia

MIR193BHG inhibits the proliferation, migration and invasion of trophoblasts by upregulating p53

Aberrant expression of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) serves a crucial role in the biological function of trophoblasts and contributes to preeclampsia (PE). lncRNA MIR193BHG expression is increased in PE placental tissues. In the present study, the effects of MIR193BHG on the function of trophoblasts were assessed to elucidate its underlying molecular mechanisms. The subcellular localization of MIR193BHG in HTR-8/SVneo human first-trimester extravillous trophoblast cells was determined using a fluorescent in situ hybridization assay and by conducting nucleocytoplasmic separation. The effect of MIR193BHG knockdown or overexpression on proliferation, migration, invasion and apoptosis was evaluated in vitro using Cell Counting Kit-8, wound healing, Transwell and flow cytometry assays. RNA-sequencing, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway enrichment analysis and protein-protein interaction network construction were subsequently performed to screen the downstream molecules regulated by MIR193BHG. Finally, rescue experiments were conducted to ascertain whether MIR193BHG influenced the biological function of trophoblasts via p53. MIR193BHG was predominantly localized in the nucleus of HTR-8/SVneo cells and overexpression of MIR193BHG significantly inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion, while increasing the rate of apoptosis of HTR-8/SVneo cells. Knockdown of MIR193BHG had the opposite effect. Furthermore, overexpression of MIR193BHG led to increases in both mRNA and protein levels of p53 compared with the control group, and knockdown of p53 rescued the effects induced by overexpression of MIR193BHG on cell proliferation, migration and invasion, while partially counteracting its effects on apoptosis of HTR-8/SVneo cells. In conclusion, the findings of the present study suggested that MIR193BHG served a critical role in progression of PE by regulating the expression of p53, and may be a novel therapeutic target for PE.

The Placental Role in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Molecular Perspective

During pregnancy, women undergo several metabolic changes to guarantee an adequate supply of glucose to the foetus. These metabolic modifications develop what is known as physiological insulin resistance. When this process is altered, however, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) occurs. GDM is a multifactorial disease, and genetic and environmental factors play a crucial role in its aetiopathogenesis. GDM has been linked to both macroscopic and molecular alterations in placental tissues that affect placental physiology. This review summarizes the role of the placenta in the development of GDM from a molecular perspective, including hormonal and pro-inflammatory changes. Inflammation and hormonal imbalance, the characteristics dominating the GDM microenvironment, are responsible for placental changes in size and vascularity, leading to dysregulation in maternal and foetal circulations and to complications in the newborn. In conclusion, since the hormonal mechanisms operating in GDM have not been fully elucidated, more research should be done to improve the quality of life of patients with GDM and their future children.

Epigenetic modifications of placenta in women with gestational diabetes mellitus and their offspring

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a pregnancy-related complication characterized by abnormal glucose metabolism in pregnant women and has an important impact on fetal development. As a bridge between the mother and the fetus, the placenta has nutrient transport functions, endocrine functions, etc., and can regulate placental nutrient transport and fetal growth and development according to maternal metabolic status. Only by means of placental transmission can changes in maternal hyperglycemia affect the fetus. There are many reports on the placental pathophysiological changes associated with GDM, the impacts of GDM on the growth and development of offspring, and the prevalence of GDM in offspring after birth. Placental epigenetic changes in GDM are involved in the programming of fetal development and are involved in the pathogenesis of later chronic diseases. This paper summarizes the effects of changes in placental nutrient transport function and hormone secretion levels due to maternal hyperglycemia and hyperinsulinemia on the development of offspring as well as the participation of changes in placental epigenetic modifications due to maternal hyperglycemia in intrauterine fetal programming to promote a comprehensive understanding of the impacts of placental epigenetic modifications on the development of offspring from patients with GDM.

The role of ncRNA regulatory mechanisms in diseases-case on gestational diabetes

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are a class of RNA molecules that do not have the potential to encode proteins. Meanwhile, they can occupy a significant portion of the human genome and participate in gene expression regulation through various mechanisms. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a pathologic condition of carbohydrate intolerance that begins or is first detected during pregnancy, making it one of the most common pregnancy complications. Although the exact pathogenesis of GDM remains unclear, several recent studies have shown that ncRNAs play a crucial regulatory role in GDM. Herein, we present a comprehensive review on the multiple mechanisms of ncRNAs in GDM along with their potential role as biomarkers. In addition, we investigate the contribution of deep learning-based models in discovering disease-specific ncRNA biomarkers and elucidate the underlying mechanisms of ncRNA. This might assist community-wide efforts to obtain insights into the regulatory mechanisms of ncRNAs in disease and guide a novel approach for early diagnosis and treatment of disease.

Biogenesis and function of exosome lncRNAs and their role in female pathological pregnancy

Preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, and recurrent spontaneous abortion are common maternal pregnancy complications that seriously endanger women's lives and health, and their occurrence is increasing year after year with a rejuvenation trend. In contrast to biomarkers found freely in tissues or body fluids, exosomes exist in a relatively independent environment and provide a higher level of stability. As backbone molecules, guidance molecules, and signaling molecules in the nucleus, lncRNAs can regulate gene expression. In the cytoplasm, lncRNAs can influence gene expression levels by modifying mRNA stability, acting as competitive endogenous RNAs to bind miRNAs, and so on. Exosomal lncRNAs can exist indefinitely and are important in intercellular communication and signal transduction. Changes in maternal serum exosome lncRNA expression can accurately and timely reflect the progression and regression of pregnancy-related diseases. The purpose of this paper is to provide a reference for clinical research on the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment methods of pregnancy-related diseases by reviewing the role of exosome lncRNAs in female pathological pregnancy and related molecular mechanisms.

The Role of Placental Non-Coding RNAs in Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are transcribed from the genome and do not encode proteins. In recent years, ncRNAs have attracted increasing attention as critical participants in gene regulation and disease pathogenesis. Different categories of ncRNAs, which mainly include microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), are involved in the progression of pregnancy, while abnormal expression of placental ncRNAs impacts the onset and development of adverse pregnancy outcomes (APOs). Therefore, we reviewed the current status of research on placental ncRNAs and APOs to further understand the regulatory mechanisms of placental ncRNAs, which provides a new perspective for treating and preventing related diseases.

Regulatory roles of non-coding RNAs and m6A modification in trophoblast functions and the occurrence of its related adverse pregnancy outcomes

Adverse pregnancy outcomes, such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes mellitus, fetal growth restriction, and recurrent miscarriage, occur frequently in pregnant women and might further induce morbidity and mortality for both mother and fetus. Increasing studies have shown that dysfunctions of human trophoblast are related to these adverse pregnancy outcomes. Recent studies also showed that environmental toxicants could induce trophoblast dysfunctions. Moreover, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) have been reported to play important regulatory roles in various cellular processes. However, the roles of ncRNAs in the regulation of trophoblast dysfunctions and the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes still need to be further investigated, especially with exposure to environmental toxicants. In this review, we analyzed the regulatory mechanisms of ncRNAs and m6A methylation modification in the dysfunctions of trophoblast cells and the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes and also summarized the harmful effects of environmental toxicants. In addition to DNA replication, mRNA transcription, and protein translation, ncRNAs and m6A modification might be considered as the fourth and fifth elements that regulate the genetic central dogma, respectively. Environmental toxicants might also affect these processes. In this review, we expect to provide a deeper scientific understanding of the occurrence of adverse pregnancy outcomes and to discover potential biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of these outcomes.

Alteration of LncRNA expression in mice placentae after frozen embryo transfer is associated with increased fetal weight

The birthweight after frozen embryo transfer (FET) was significantly higher compared with fresh embryo transfer (fresh ET), while the mechanism remains unclear. In this study, we transferred vitrified-warmed or fresh mice blastocysts into pseudopregnant recipients (n = 11 each group) produced by natural mating to avoid the influence of superovulation. The fetal weight, placental weight, placental efficiency and placental architecture were studied at E18.5. Placental RNA-Seq analysis was used to identify candidate different lncRNAs and mRNAs between the FET group and the fresh ET group. We found that the fetal weight was increased in the FET group, with increased placental efficiency and the proportion of placental function related labyrinth zone area. 554 lncRNAs and 1012 mRNAs were differentially expressed. KEGG and GO enrichment analyses showed these differentially expressed lncRNAs and their targeted mRNAs might be related to placental morphogenesis. Furthermore, the most differentially expressed 15 lncRNAs and 15 mRNAs were validated by qRT-PCR, we found the LncRNA embryonic stem cells expressed 1 (Lncenc1) was significantly decreased, and Gjb5, which played an important role in labyrinth zone development, was increased. Gjb5 protein increase was further confirmed by Western blot. Lncenc1 and Gjb5 had 48 predicted co-targeted miRNAs, while the correlation analysis of Lncenc1 and Gjb5 mRNA showed a significant inverse correlation. The results showed that FET treatment might enhance the placental function to increase mouse fetal weight via the network diagram of Lncenc1-miRNA-Gjb5.

First Trimester Plasma MicroRNA Levels Predict Risk of Developing Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

AIMS

Our objective is to identify first-trimester plasmatic miRNAs associated with and predictive of GDM.

METHODS

We quantified miRNA using next-generation sequencing in discovery (Gen3G: n = 443/GDM = 56) and replication (3D: n = 139/GDM = 76) cohorts. We have diagnosed GDM using a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test and the IADPSG criteria. We applied stepwise logistic regression analysis among replicated miRNAs to build prediction models.

RESULTS

We identified 17 miRNAs associated with GDM development in both cohorts. The prediction performance of hsa-miR-517a-3p|hsa-miR-517b-3p, hsa-miR-218-5p, and hsa-let7a-3p was slightly better than GDM classic risk factors (age, BMI, familial history of type 2 diabetes, history of GDM or macrosomia, and HbA1c) (AUC 0.78 vs. 0.75). MiRNAs and GDM classic risk factors together further improved the prediction values [AUC 0.84 (95% CI 0.73-0.94)]. These results were replicated in 3D, although weaker predictive values were obtained. We suggest very low and higher risk GDM thresholds, which could be used to identify women who could do without a diagnostic test for GDM and women most likely to benefit from an early GDM prevention program.

CONCLUSIONS

In summary, three miRNAs combined with classic GDM risk factors provide excellent prediction values, potentially strong enough to improve early detection and prevention of GDM.