Grant: Operating Grant - PA: Reproductive and Child Heath (start-up grants)

Background Gestational diabetes is defined as diabetes occurring during pregnancy. It affects 6.5% to 18% of pregnancies in Canada and has profound impacts on the newborn's health such as increasing the risk to develop obesity and diabetes later in life. Although the damaging effects of gestational diabetes on newborns are well-known, the mechanisms involved have not yet been clearly identified. Epidemiological and clinical observations highly suggest that epigenetics factors are an important piece of that mechanistic puzzle. Epigenetics refers to DNA modifications acting as a permissive (gas pedal) or a constraint (break pedal) to gene readings (expression). Since the speed at which gene reading takes place is a major issue in disease development, epigenetics has the real potential to better explain the detrimental effects of gestational diabetes. Objective To determine how gene reading speed control (DNA modifications) is affected by gestational diabetes. Methods Using high throughput technologies, reading speed of all known human genes will be measured according to exposure to gestational diabetes in placenta samples obtained at birth. For genes showing differences, DNA will be analyzed in a very large number of placenta tissues to determine whether epigenetic changes are related to gestational diabetes exposure. Conclusion Showing that gestational diabetes generates changes at DNA levels is needed to help define the biological mechanisms responsible for its negative effects on newborns. Consequently, the results will also contribute to a better understanding of how gestational diabetes influences the long-term risk of obesity and diabetes for the newborns. It is mandatory to improve prevention program and treatment.