Aim: To investigate epigenomic changes in pregnancy and early postpartum in women with and without type 2 diabetes.
Methods: Dimethylation of histones H3K4, H3K9, H3K27, H3K36 and H3K79 was measured in white blood cells of women at 30 weeks pregnancy, at 8-10 and 20 weeks postpartum and in never-pregnant women.
Results: Dimethylation levels of all five histones were different between women in pregnancy and early postpartum compared with never-pregnant women and were different between women with and without type 2 diabetes.
Conclusion: Histone methylation changes are transient in pregnancy and early postpartum and may represent normal physiological responses to hormones. Different epigenomic profiles in women with type 2 diabetes mellitus may correlate with hormonal responses, leading to high risk pregnancy outcomes.
Keywords: epigenetics; histone methylation; pregnancy; type 2 diabetes mellitus.