Background: Maternal obesity is associated with unfavorable outcomes, which may be reflected in the as yet undiscovered gene expression profiles of the umbilical cord (UC).
Methods: UCs from 12 lean (pregravid BMI < 24.9) and 10 overweight/obese (pregravid BMI ≥ 25) women without gestational diabetes were collected for gene expression analysis using Human Primeview microarrays. Metabolic parameters were assayed in mother's plasma and cord blood.
Results: Although offspring birth weight and adiposity (at 2 wk) did not differ between groups, expression of 232 transcripts was affected in UC from overweight/obese compared with those of lean mothers. Gene-set enrichment analysis revealed an upregulation of genes related to metabolism, stimulus and defense response, and inhibitory to insulin signaling in the overweight/obese group. We confirmed that EGR1, periostin, and FOSB mRNA expression was induced in UCs from overweight/obese mothers, while endothelin receptor B, KLF10, PEG3, and EGLN3 expression was decreased. Messenger RNA expression of EGR1, FOSB, MEST, and SOCS1 were positively correlated (P < 0.05) with mother's first-trimester body fat mass (%).
Conclusion: Our data suggest a positive association between maternal obesity and changes in UC gene expression profiles favoring inflammation and insulin resistance, potentially predisposing infants to develop metabolic dysfunction later on in life.