Investigation of novel biomarkers for early prediction of obesity

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K19670
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 59040:Nutrition science and health science-related
• Research Institution: Chiba University
• Principal Investigator: Takatani Rieko 千葉大学, 予防医学センター, 助教 (20772370)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 肥満 / 臍帯血 / マイクロRNA

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We investigated umbilical cord serum microRNA (miRNA) profiles to identify biomarkers of a risk for obesity later in life. Participating children were divided into high- and low-risk groups of obesity based on the timing of adiposity rebound and the body mass index (BMI) at 5 years and randomly selected from each group for this study. 3D‐Gene Human miRNA Oligo Chip was performed using cord serum in five children of both groups. The most relevant miRNAs were confirmed in 33 children of the groups using TaqMan microRNA assay. We detected five cord serum miRNAs differentially expressed in children at high risk of obesity compared with the levels in children at low risk, namely, miR-516-3p and miR-130a-3p with increased levels and miR-1260b, miR-4709-3p, and miR194-3p with decreased ones. This study provides the first identification of altered umbilical cord serum miRNAs in childhood obesity.

Free Research Field

小児科学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

近年、小児肥満が増加しており、世界的な問題となっている。小児肥満は成人期の肥満、メタボリック症候群の発症に関与しており、小児肥満の予防は重要な課題である。本研究では、臍帯血のマイクロRNA解析を通して、小児肥満のリスク因子となる新たなバイオマーカーを探索した。肥満高リスク児と肥満低リスク児では、5つのマイクロRNAの発現量に差が認められた。これらのマイクロRNAは小児肥満に関連する可能性がある。