Multi-ancestry, trans-generational GWAS meta-analysis of gestational diabetes and glycaemic traits during pregnancy reveals limited evidence of pregnancy-specific genetic effects.
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| Abstract | Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects ~14% of pregnancies and increases maternal type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) risk. The GenDiP Consortium presents trans-generational, multi-ancestry genome-wide association study meta-analyses of GDM and pregnancy glycemic traits in up to 38,305 GDM cases and 776,145 controls. We identify 37 GDM-associated loci (7 novel) and five novel loci for pregnancy glycemic traits, all operating through the maternal genome. We classify 12 GDM variants with stronger effects in GDM than T2DM into five biologically informed categories, revealing pleiotropy patterns, pregnancy-dependent effect modification, and diagnostic heterogeneity. While all these loci overlap with T2DM and/or non-pregnant glycaemic traits, four (G6PC2, CAST-PCSK1, HKDC1, FOXA2) lack genome-wide-significant T2DM associations; GCK shows distinct causal variants for GDM, and MTNR1B exhibits pregnancy-amplified effects. Our findings provide new genetic insights into GDM and highlight the need for larger, ancestrally diverse studies of GDM and glycaemic traits during pregnancy to understand potential pregnancy-specific effects. |
| Year of Publication | 2026
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| Journal | Nature communications
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| Volume | 17
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| Issue | 1
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| Date Published | 06/2026
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| ISSN | 2041-1723
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| DOI | 10.1038/s41467-026-73509-y
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| PubMed ID | 42225636
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