摘要
It is generally believed that genotype and adult lifestyle elements are primary risks of diabetes mellitus. However, increasing evidence demonstrates that early life malnutrition during the period of gestation and/or lactation may increase our susceptibility to some metabolic diseases in later life and the underlying mechanism is not very clear. Recently, epigenetics is hypothesized to be the important molecular basis of the imbalanced early life nutrition and glucose metabolism disorders. The fundamental mechanism is that early developmental nutrition can regulate epigenetic modifications of some genes associated with development and metabolism. MicroRNAs （miRNAs） are recognized as an important epigenetic modification and they are a major class of small noncoding RNAs （about 20-22 nucleotides） which can mediate posttranscriptional regulation of target genes with cell differentiation and apoptosis. Recent studies suggest that miRNAs may be the crucial modulators of fetal epigenetic programming in nutrition and metabolic disorders. How miRNAs can modulate the relationship between early life nutrition and disease susceptibilities, especially for aberrant glucose metabolism？
It is generally believed that genotype and adult lifestyle elements are primary risks of diabetes mellitus. However, increasing evidence demonstrates that early life malnutrition during the period of gestation and/or lactation may increase our susceptibility to some metabolic diseases in later life and the underlying mechanism is not very clear. Recently, epigenetics is hypothesized to be the important molecular basis of the imbalanced early life nutrition and glucose metabolism disorders. The fundamental mechanism is that early developmental nutrition can regulate epigenetic modifications of some genes associated with development and metabolism. MicroRNAs （miRNAs） are recognized as an important epigenetic modification and they are a major class of small noncoding RNAs （about 20-22 nucleotides） which can mediate posttranscriptional regulation of target genes with cell differentiation and apoptosis. Recent studies suggest that miRNAs may be the crucial modulators of fetal epigenetic programming in nutrition and metabolic disorders. How miRNAs can modulate the relationship between early life nutrition and disease susceptibilities, especially for aberrant glucose metabolism？
