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Pilot study on circulating miRNA signature in children with obesity born small for gestational age and appropriate
F Marzano1, M F Faienza2, M F Caratozzolo1
1Institute of Biomembranes, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnologies-IBIOM, CNR, Bari, Italy.
Insights
Children born small for gestational age (SGA) and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) with obesity exhibit distinct circulating microRNA (miRNA) profiles. These miRNA profiles may serve as early biomarkers for metabolic dysfunction risk in obese children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Metabolomics
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Children born small for gestational age (SGA) face higher risks of metabolic dysfunction.
- MicroRNA (miRNA) dysregulation is implicated in metabolic disorders.
Purpose of the Study:
- To profile circulating miRNAs (c-miRNAs) in obese and normal-weight SGA and AGA children.
- To identify potential c-miRNA biomarkers for early detection of metabolic dysfunction risk.
Main Methods:
- Serum samples from 44 children (15 obese SGA, 10 normal-weight SGA, 17 obese AGA, 12 normal-weight AGA) were analyzed using RNA sequencing.
- miRNA expression profiles were quantified and compared between groups.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in miRNA expression were observed between obese and normal-weight children within both SGA and AGA groups.
- Specific miRNAs (e.g., miR-92a-3p, miR-122-5p) were consistently dysregulated in obese children.
- Pathway analysis indicated involvement of these miRNAs in insulin signaling, glucose transport, and lipid metabolism.
Conclusions:
- A distinct c-miRNA profile characterizes obese SGA and AGA children compared to their normal-weight counterparts.
- These identified c-miRNAs show promise as early biomarkers for metabolic dysfunction risk in obese children.
Background:
Children born small for gestational age (SGA) are at increased risk of metabolic dysfunction. Dysregulation of specific microRNAs (miRNAs) contributes to aberrant gene expression patterns underlying metabolic dysfunction.
Objective:
We aimed to determine and compare circulating miRNA (c-miRNA) profile of SGA and appropriate for gestational age (AGA) children with obesity and with normal weight, in order to identify biomarkers for early detection of increased risk of developing metabolic dysfunction in SGA and AGA children with obesity.
Methods:
Small non-coding RNAs from serum of 15 SGA children with obesity (OB-SGA), 10 SGA children with normal weight (NW-SGA), 17 AGA children with obesity (OB-AGA) and 12 AGA children with normal weight (NW-AGA) (mean age 11.2 ± 2.6) have been extracted and sequenced in order to detect and quantify miRNA expression profiles.
Results:
RNA-seq analyses showed 28 miRNAs dysregulated in OB-SGA vs. NW-SGA and 19 miRNAs dysregulated in OB-AGA vs. NW-AGA. Among these, miR-92a-3p, miR-122-5p, miR-423-5p, miR-484, miR-486-3p and miR-532-5p were up regulated, and miR-181b-5p was down regulated in both OB-SGA and OB-AGA compared with normal weight counterparts. Pathway analysis and miRNA target prediction suggested that these miRNAs were particularly involved in insulin signalling, glucose transport, insulin resistance, cholesterol and lipid metabolism.
Conclusion:
We identified a specific profile of c-miRNAs in SGA and AGA children with obesity compared with SGA and AGA children with normal weight. These c-miRNAs could represent specific biomarkers for early detection of increased risk of developing metabolic dysfunction in SGA and AGA children with obesity.
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