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Sex-dependent vulnerability of fetal nonhuman primate cardiac mitochondria to moderate maternal nutrient reduction.

ABSTRACT: Poor maternal nutrition in pregnancy affects fetal development, predisposing offspring to cardiometabolic diseases. The role of mitochondria during fetal development on later-life cardiac dysfunction caused by maternal nutrient reduction (MNR) remains unexplored. We hypothesized that MNR during gestation causes fetal cardiac bioenergetic deficits, compromising cardiac mitochondrial metabolism and reserve capacity. To enable human translation, we developed a primate baboon model (Papio spp.) of moderate MNR in which mothers receive 70% of control nutrition during pregnancy, resulting in intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) offspring and later exhibiting myocardial remodeling and heart failure at human equivalent ∼25 years. Term control and MNR baboon offspring were necropsied following cesarean-section, and left ventricle (LV) samples were collected. MNR adversely impacted fetal cardiac LV mitochondria in a sex-dependent fashion. Increased maternal plasma aspartate aminotransferase, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), and elevated cortisol levels in MNR concomitant with decreased blood insulin in male fetal MNR were measured. MNR resulted in a two-fold increase in fetal LV mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). MNR resulted in increased transcripts for several respiratory chain (NDUFB8, UQCRC1, and cytochrome c) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase proteins. However, MNR fetal LV mitochondrial complex I and complex II/III activities were significantly decreased, possibly contributing to the 73% decreased ATP content and increased lipid peroxidation. MNR fetal LV showed mitochondria with sparse and disarranged cristae dysmorphology. Conclusion: MNR disruption of fetal cardiac mitochondrial fitness likely contributes to the documented developmental programming of adult cardiac dysfunction, indicating a programmed mitochondrial inability to deliver sufficient energy to cardiac tissues as a chronic mechanism for later-life heart failure.

SUBMITTER: Pereira SP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8456369 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR) is a common cause of fetal/neonatal morbidity and mortality and is associated with increased offspring predisposition for cardiovascular disease (CVD) development. Mitochondria are essential organelles in maintaining cardiac function, and thus, fetal cardiac mitochondria could be responsive to the IUGR environment. In this study, we investigated whether in utero fetal cardiac mitochondrial programming can be detectable in an early stage of IUGR pregnancy. Using a well-established nonhuman IUGR primate model, we induced IUGR by reducing by 30% the maternal diet (MNR), both in males (MNR-M) and in female (MNR-F) fetuses. Fetal cardiac left ventricle (LV) tissue and blood were collected at 90 days of gestation (0.5 gestation, 0.5 G). Blood biochemical parameters were determined and heart LV mitochondrial biology assessed. MNR fetus biochemical blood parameters confirm an early fetal response to MNR. In addition, we show that in utero cardiac mitochondrial MNR adaptations are already detectable at this early stage, in a sex-divergent way. MNR induced alterations in the cardiac gene expression of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) subunits (mostly for complex-I, III, and ATP synthase), along with increased protein content for complex-I, -III, and -IV subunits only for MNR-M in comparison with male controls, highlight the fetal cardiac sex-divergent response to MNR. At this fetal stage, no major alterations were detected in mitochondrial DNA copy number nor markers for oxidative stress. This study shows that in 90-day nonhuman primate fetuses, a 30% decrease in maternal nutrition generated early in utero adaptations in fetal blood biochemical parameters and sex-specific alterations in cardiac left ventricle gene and protein expression profiles, affecting predominantly OXPHOS subunits. Since the OXPHOS system is determinant for energy production in mitochondria, our findings suggest that these early IUGR-induced mitochondrial adaptations play a role in offspring's mitochondrial dysfunction and can increase predisposition to CVD in a sex-specific way.

Project description:Little is known about the repertoire of nonhuman primate kidney genes expressed throughout development. The present work establishes an understanding of the primate renal transcriptome at different stages of fetal development and defines the framework of gene expression in the context of renal maturation, which provides a basis for identifying deviations in transcriptome expression resulting from suboptimal conditions during renal development. The baboon kidney transcriptome was characterized at 60 days gestation (DG), 90DG, 125DG, 160DG and adulthood (6-12 years) using human genome arrays to identify differential gene expression in the context of biological pathways and hierarchical clusters. Whole genome expression profiling showed 11,331 genes that were expressed during kidney development, 4,698 of which were differentially expressed among the developmental time points. Pathway analysis indicated activation of annotated pathways previously reported to be important to kidney development and pathways not reported as relevant to kidney development. QRT-PCR for genes central to these pathways validated expression profiles and revealed differences between males and females at specific times in gestation. Hierarchical clustering indicated that two clusters best fit the data, one containing genes that increased in expression from 60DG to adult and one that decreased. Cluster analysis also revealed gene splice variants with discordant expression profiles during development. For example, SMAD4, which is central to Wnt signaling, TGF-β signaling and cell cycle, showed up-regulation of the full-length splice variant during development and down-regulation of a shorter variant that is missing DNA binding and protein heterotrimerization domains suggesting decreased inhibition of cell proliferation, which may impact renal cell number and maturation. This study provides the first detailed genetic analysis of the developing primate kidney, and our findings of discordant expression of gene splice variants suggest that gene arrays likely provide a simplified view and demonstrate the need to study the fetal renal proteome.

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Sex-dependent vulnerability of fetal nonhuman primate cardiac mitochondria to moderate maternal nutrient reduction.

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