Maternal Glucose and LDL-Cholesterol Levels Are Related to Placental Leptin Gene Methylation, and, Together With Nutritional Factors, Largely Explain a Higher Methylation Level Among Ethnic South Asians

BackgroundLeptin, mainly secreted by fat cells, plays a core role in the regulation of appetite and body weight, and has been proposed as a mediator of metabolic programming. During pregnancy leptin is also secreted by the placenta, as well as being a key regulatory cytokine for the development, homeostatic regulation and nutrient transport within the placenta. South Asians have a high burden of type 2 diabetes, partly attributed to a “thin-fat-phenotype”.ObjectiveOur aim was to investigate how maternal ethnicity, adiposity and glucose- and lipid/cholesterol levels in pregnancy are related to placental leptin gene (LEP) DNA methylation.MethodsWe performed DNA methylation analyses of 13 placental LEP CpG sites in 40 ethnic Europeans and 40 ethnic South Asians participating in the STORK-Groruddalen cohort.ResultsSouth Asian ethnicity and gestational diabetes (GDM) were associated with higher placental LEP methylation. The largest ethnic difference was found for CpG11 [5.8% (95% CI: 2.4, 9.2), p