Effect of pregnancy followed by lactation on miRNAs modulation of maternal pancreatic islets

Abstract

A series of studies show that duration of breastfeeding has an inverse relationship with the risk of mothers developing Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Despite this, the mechanism by which breastfeeding duration affects late maternal metabolism is unknown yet. Recently, it has been shown that the differential expression of miRNAs may be the basis of long-term functional modifications. Ongoing studies from our laboratory show that mice that become pregnant and breastfeed retain high insulin secretory capacity for pancreatic islets. This phenotypic change is accompanied by increased glucose tolerance and it lasts for two months after weaning. The present project aims to track the miRNAs differentially expressed in pancreatic islets that may potentially be associated with this adaptation. (AU)