A co-expression analysis of the placental transcriptome in association with maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and newborn birth weight

We conducted a genome-wide placental transcriptome study aiming at the identification of functional pathways representing the molecular link between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and fetal growth. We used RNA microarray (Agilent 8 X 60 K), medical records, and questionnaire data from 183 mother-newborn pairs from the ENVIRONAGE birth cohort study (Flanders, Belgium). We applied a weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and identified genes modules and hub genes that were associated with maternal BMI as well as newborn birth weight. Modules of interest were further characterized by gene ontology (GO) and pathway enrichment analyses. We assessed the mediating effects of modules and hub genes in the association between maternal BMI and newborn weight. Epidemiologic study