Natalia Martinez-Acuña

Dr. Natalia Martinez-Acuña


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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MDMiguel Ángel Déctor
Miguel Ángel Déctor
VMValeria Carmen Macías-González
Valeria Carmen Macías-González
ASAdriana Sánchez-García
Adriana Sánchez-García
AHArmando Hernandez-Mendoza
Armando Hernandez-Mendoza
NMNatalia Martinez-Acuña
Natalia Martinez-Acuña
MBMaría Carmen Barboza-Cerda
María Carmen Barboza-Cerda
Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) develops silently during early pregnancy, yet its earliest circulating molecular signatures remain poorly defined. In this exploratory biomarker study, we characterized first-trimester circulating microRNA (miRNAs) associated with later GDM using a pool-based small RNA sequencing approach. Using a systematic and unbiased sequencing strategy with locus-level miRNA resolution, we profiled the first-trimester plasma miRNome and prioritized a set of 18 mature miRNAs from among 255 detected species. Set-level functional enrichment analyses based on curated and predicted miRNA–target interactions derived primarily from cellular and tissue-based studies showed annotation-based convergence on pathways related to Ca2+ homeostasis, glucagon–insulin regulatory circuits, and PI3K–AKT signaling. Network analysis indicated coordinated associations among these miRNAs and shared target pathways involved in insulin secretion and insulin sensitivity. Key contributors—including miR-29a-3p, miR-29c-3p, miR-146a-5p, let-7a-5p, and miR-182-5p—were linked, through in silico target annotation, to central metabolic regulators such as PTEN, PIK3R1, AKT1, AKT2, and components of Ca2+ signaling (ATP2A2, CALM1/3, ITPR1, RYR2). These circulating miRNAs should be interpreted primarily as biomarkers reflecting coordinated metabolic states rather than as direct causal mediators. Most identified miRNAs have not been previously reported in the context of first-trimester GDM, supporting the exploratory and hypothesis-generating nature of this circulating miRNA signature in early gestational metabolic research.