Expression data from mothers, placentas, and newborns in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Maternal stress has long been associated with lower birthweight but mechanisms remain elusive. This study explored how maternal stress may impact changes in gene expression within a cohort of mother-placenta-newborn triads in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo We used microarrays to detail the global programme of gene expression underlying the impact of maternal stress on newborn birthweight and identified that global placental gene expression may partially mediate the negative impact of maternal war stress on newborn birthweight. Samples from Homo sapiens sapiens mother, newborn, and placenta triads were collected at the time of birth for RNA extraction and hybridization on the Human Clariom D microarray (Affymetrix GeneChip system).