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14 May 2014 Maternal Diabetes Mellitus and the Origin of Non-Communicable Diseases in Offspring: The Role of Epigenetics
Zhao-Jia Ge, Cui-Lian Zhang, Heide Schatten, Qing-Yuan Sun
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Abstract

Offspring of diabetic mothers are susceptible to the onset of metabolic syndromes, such as type 2 diabetes and obesity at adulthood, and this trend can be inherited between generations. Genetics cannot fully explain how the noncommunicable disease in offspring of diabetic mothers is caused and inherited by the next generations. Many studies have confirmed that epigenetics may be crucial for the detrimental effects on offspring exposed to the hyperglycemic environment. Although the adverse effects on epigenetics in offspring of diabetic mothers may be the result of the poor intrauterine environment, epigenetic modifications in oocytes of diabetic mothers are also affected. Therefore, the present review is focused on the epigenetic alterations in oocytes and embryos of diabetic mothers. Furthermore, we also discuss initial mechanistic insight on maternal diabetes mellitus causing alterations of epigenetic modifications.

Zhao-Jia Ge, Cui-Lian Zhang, Heide Schatten, and Qing-Yuan Sun "Maternal Diabetes Mellitus and the Origin of Non-Communicable Diseases in Offspring: The Role of Epigenetics," Biology of Reproduction 90(6), (14 May 2014). https://doi.org/10.1095/biolreprod.114.118141
Received: 27 January 2014; Accepted: 1 April 2014; Published: 14 May 2014
KEYWORDS
embryo
epigenetics
maternal diabetes
offspring
oocyte
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