Differential gene expression profiles during embryonic heart development in diabetic mice pregnancy

• Published in: Gene Vol. 516; no. 2; pp. 218 - 227
• Main Authors: Vijaya, Murugaiyan, Manikandan, Jayapal, Parakalan, Rangarajan, Dheen, S. Thameem, Kumar, Srinivasan Dinesh, Tay, Samuel Sam Wah
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 10.03.2013
• Subjects: Animals; apoptosis; Cluster Analysis; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - chemically induced; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - embryology; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental - genetics; Embryo; Female; gene expression regulation; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; genes; Heart; Heart - embryology; Male; Mice; Microarray; Microarray Analysis; microarray technology; mothers; Myocardium - metabolism; pathogenesis; Pregnancy; Pregnancy in Diabetics - genetics; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects - genetics; progeny; reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction; signal transduction; Streptozocin; Transcriptome; Validation Studies as Topic; Heart; Embryo; E15.5; STZ; Mice; Diabetes; Microarray; E13.5; CHD; MAS; PCA
• ISSN: 0378-1119; 1879-0038
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2012.12.071

Congenital heart defects (CHD) are one of the most common defects in offspring of diabetic mothers. There is a clear association between maternal diabetes and CHD; however the underlying molecular mechanism remains unknown. We hypothesized that maternal diabetes affects with the expression of early developmental genes that regulate the essential developmental processes of the heart, thereby resulting in the pathogenesis of CHD. We analyzed genome-wide expression profiling in the developing heart of embryos from diabetic and control mice by using the oligonucleotide microarray. Microarray analysis revealed that a total of 878 genes exhibited more than 1.5 fold changes in expression level in the hearts of experimental embryos in either E13.5 or E15.5 compared with their respective controls. Expression pattern of genes that is differentially expressed in the developing heart was further examined by the real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. Several genes involved in a number of molecular signaling pathways such as apoptosis, proliferation, migration and differentiation in the developing heart were differentially expressed in embryos of diabetic pregnancy. It is concluded that altered expression of several genes involved in heart development may contribute to CHD in offspring of diabetic mothers. ► We examine changes in gene expression levels in the embryonic heart of diabetic mice. ► Maternal diabetes is associated with congenital heart defects. ► Diabetes interferes with expression of some genes involved in heart development. ► Maternal diabetes alters several genes involved in a number of signaling pathways.