Molecular Biomarkers for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Stephanie Dias; Carmen Pheiffer; Yoonus Abrahams; Paul Rheeder; Sumaiya Adam

doi:10.3390/ijms19102926

Molecular Biomarkers for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Sep 26;19(10):2926. doi: 10.3390/ijms19102926.

Authors

Stephanie Dias^{1

2}, Carmen Pheiffer^{3

4}, Yoonus Abrahams^{5

6}, Paul Rheeder⁷, Sumaiya Adam⁸

Affiliations

¹ Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform, South African Medical Research Council, P.O. Box 19070, Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa. Stephanie.Dias@mrc.ac.za.
² Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X169, Pretoria 0001, South Africa. Stephanie.Dias@mrc.ac.za.
³ Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform, South African Medical Research Council, P.O. Box 19070, Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa. carmen.pheiffer@mrc.ac.za.
⁴ Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, P.O. Box 19063, Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa. carmen.pheiffer@mrc.ac.za.
⁵ Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform, South African Medical Research Council, P.O. Box 19070, Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa. Yoonus.Abrahams@mrc.ac.za.
⁶ Division of Medical Physiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, P.O. Box 19063, Tygerberg, Cape Town 7505, South Africa. Yoonus.Abrahams@mrc.ac.za.
⁷ Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X169, Pretoria 0001, South Africa. paul.rheeder@up.ac.za.
⁸ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X169, Pretoria 0001, South Africa. Sumaiya.adam@up.ac.za.

Abstract

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a growing public health problem worldwide. The condition is associated with perinatal complications and an increased risk for future metabolic disease in both mothers and their offspring. In recent years, molecular biomarkers received considerable interest as screening tools for GDM. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the current status of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), DNA methylation, and microRNAs as biomarkers for GDM. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were searched for articles published between January 1990 and August 2018. The search terms included "gestational diabetes mellitus", "blood", "single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)", "DNA methylation", and "microRNAs", including corresponding synonyms and associated terms for each word. This review updates current knowledge of the candidacy of these molecular biomarkers for GDM with recommendations for future research avenues.

Keywords: DNA methylation; genetic and epigenetic markers; gestational diabetes mellitus; microRNAs; molecular biomarkers; single-nucleotide polymorphism.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Biomarkers / metabolism*
DNA Methylation*
Diabetes, Gestational / diagnosis
Diabetes, Gestational / genetics*
Female
Genetic Predisposition to Disease / genetics*
Humans
MicroRNAs / genetics*
Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide*
Pregnancy
Sensitivity and Specificity

Substances

Biomarkers
MicroRNAs