MTNR1B gene variations and high pre-pregnancy BMI increase gestational diabetes mellitus risk in Chinese women

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the association of melatonin receptor 1B (MTNR1B) gene variations and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Materials and method: In this study, 1566 Chinese Han pregnant women were enrolled and multiple genetic models were used to evaluate the association between MTNR1B gene polymorphisms and the risk of GDM. The clinical value of pre-pregnancy BMI in predicting GDM was analyzed and evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Several methods of analysis were used to examine the impact of gene-gene and gene-BMI interactions on the incidence of GDM influence.

Results: For the MTNR1B gene, rs1387153 (C > T), rs10830962 (C > G), rs4753426 (T > C), and rs10830963 (C > G) are all risk mutations associated with the susceptibility of GDM. The ROC curve analysis indicated that the BMI demonstrated an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.595. Alongside, the sensitivity and specificity stood at 0.676 and 0.474 respectively. The maximum Joden index was found to be 0.150, with a corresponding critical BMI value of 20.5691 kg/m². Interaction analysis revealed that gene-gene and gene-BMI interactions had no significant effect on GDM occurrence.

Conclusion: MTNR1B genetic variations confers the risk to GDM in Chinese women. Furthermore, the high pre-pregnancy BMI (≥20.5691 kg/m²) significantly increases the risk of GDM in Chinese women.

Keywords: Area under the curve; Gestational diabetes mellitus; Melatonin receptor 1B; Pre-pregnancy body mass index; Single nucleotide polymorphisms.