Genome-wide association study of maternal plasma metabolites during pregnancy

Abstract

Metabolites are key indicators of health and therapeutic targets, but their genetic underpinnings during pregnancy-a critical period for human reproduction-are largely unexplored. Using genetic data from non-invasive prenatal testing, we performed a genome-wide association study on 84 metabolites, including 37 amino acids, 24 elements, 13 hormones, and 10 vitamins, involving 34,394 pregnant Chinese women, with sample sizes ranging from 6,394 to 13,392 for specific metabolites. We identified 53 metabolite-gene associations, 23 of which are novel. Significant differences in genetic effects between pregnant and non-pregnant women were observed for 16.7%-100% of these associations, indicating gene-environment interactions. Additionally, 50.94% of genetic associations exhibited pleiotropy among metabolites and between six metabolites and eight pregnancy phenotypes. Mendelian randomization revealed potential causal relationships between seven maternal metabolites and 15 human traits and diseases. These findings provide new insights into the genetic basis of maternal plasma metabolites during pregnancy.

Keywords: amino acids; causal relationships; elements; genetic basis; hormones; long-term health; metabolites; non-invasive prenatal test; pregnancy; vitamins.