ChIP-seq and RNA-seq reveal the involvement of histone lactylation modification in gestational diabetes mellitus

Lactylation is a novel post-translational modification of proteins. Although the histone lactylation modification has been reported to be involved in glucose metabolism, its role and molecular pathways in gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are still unclear. This study aims to elucidate the histone lactylation modification landscapes of GDM patients and explore lactylation-modification-related genes involved in GDM. We employed a combination of RNA-seq analysis and Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) analysis to identify up-regulated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with hyper-histone lactylation modification in GDM. We demonstrated that the level of lactate and histone lactylation were significantly elevated in GDM patients. DEGs were involved in diabetes-related pathways, such as PI3K-Akt signaling pathway, Jak-STAT signaling pathway, and mTOR signaling pathway. ChIP-seq analysis indicated that histone lactylation modification in the promoter regions of the GDM group was significantly changed. By integrating the results of RNA-seq and ChIP-seq analysis, we found that CACNA2D1 is a key gene for histone lactylation modification and is involved in the progression of GDM by promoting cell vitality and proliferation. In conclusion, we identified the key gene CACNA2D1, that up-regulated and exhibited hyper-modification of histone lactylation in GDM. These findings establish a theoretical groundwork for the targeted therapy of GDM.