Placental microRNAs relate to early childhood growth trajectories

• Authors: Elizabeth M Kennedy, Emory University; Karen Hermetz, Emory University; Amber Burt, Emory University; Dong Pei, University of Kansas; Devin C Koestler, University of Kansas; Ke Hao, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Jia Chen, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; Diane Gilbert-Diamond, Dartmouth College, Lebanon; Usha Ramakrishnan, Emory University; Margaret R Karagas, Dartmouth College, Lebanon; Carmen J Marsit, Emory University
• Journal Title: PEDIATRIC RESEARCH
• Volume: Volume 94, Number 1
• Publisher: SPRINGERNATURE | 2022-11-15, Pages 341-348
• Type of Work: Article | Post-print: After Peer Review
• Publisher DOI: http://doi.org/10.1038/s41390-022-02386-0
• Subjects: Environmental Sciences; Health Sciences, Public Health; Biology, Biostatistics; Health Sciences, Epidemiology
• Keywords: Science & Technology; Life Sciences & Biomedicine; Pediatrics; TROPHOBLAST; MIGRATION; INVASION; TOOLS; CELLS; STEM

Abstract

Background: Poor placental function is a common cause of intrauterine growth restriction, which in turn is associated with increased risks of adverse health outcomes. Our prior work suggests that birthweight and childhood obesity-associated genetic variants functionally impact placental function and that placental microRNA are associated with birthweight. To address the influence of the placenta beyond birth, we assessed the relationship between placental microRNAs and early childhood growth. Methods: Using the SITAR package, we generated two parameters that describe individual weight trajectories of children (0–5 years) in the New Hampshire Birth Cohort Study (NHBCS, n = 238). Using negative binomial generalized linear models, we identified placental microRNAs that relate to growth parameters (FDR < 0.1), while accounting for sex, gestational age at birth, and maternal parity. Results: Genes targeted by the six growth trajectory-associated microRNAs are enriched (FDR < 0.05) in growth factor signaling (TGF/beta: miR-876; EGF/R: miR-155, Let-7c; FGF/R: miR-155; IGF/R: Let-7c, miR-155), calmodulin signaling (miR-216a), and NOTCH signaling (miR-629). Conclusions: Growth-trajectory microRNAs target pathways affecting placental proliferation, differentiation and function. Our results suggest a role for microRNAs in regulating placental cellular dynamics and supports the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease hypothesis that fetal environment can have impacts beyond birth. Impact: We found that growth trajectory associated placenta microRNAs target genes involved in signaling pathways central to the formation, maintenance and function of placenta; suggesting that placental cellular dynamics remain critical to infant growth to term and are under the control of microRNAs.Our results contribute to the existing body of research suggesting that the placenta plays a key role in programming health in the offspring.This is the first study to relate molecular patterns in placenta, specifically microRNAs, to early childhood growth trajectory.