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Maternal diet disrupts the placenta-brain axis in a sex-specific manner

ABSTRACT: Purpose: Next generation bulk RNA sequencing of a large group (37 individuals) of matched tissues (fetal brain and fetal placenta) from human fetuses collected via elective termination at 72-82 days post conception (d.p.c.), a timeframe that closely matches the embryonic developmental window used in our mouse studies (14.5-16.5) Methods: Human placenta (maternal decidua separated from fetal placenta) and fetal brain tissues were obtained from the NIH-supported Laboratory of Developmental Biology at the University of Washington between the years 1999 and 2010 and used under a protocol approved by the Duke University Institutional Review Board (Pro00014066). Tissue specimens were stored at -80°C until required for RNA or protein extraction. Prior to collection, informed consent was obtained from all individuals undergoing the elective termination. RNA from human tissue was prepared for sequencing using an Illumina TrueSeq RNA Exome kit and sequenced on an Illumina NovaSeq 6000 configured for a S2 flow cell at 50bp PE. Results: PCR for the Y chromosome (SRY) identified 17 male and 20 female fetal tissue sets, with the average age of 78.2 d.p.c. for both sexes. No maternal data were available, so we assessed decidual triglyceride accumulation to use as a proxy for maternal weight, given that women with overweight/obesity exhibit triglyceride accumulation in the placenta. Triglyceride levels trended higher in pregnancies with female fetuses, but there was no significant difference between triglyceride accumulation in decidua associated with male or female pregnancies. Pearson's Correlation of gene expression with maternal triglyceride accumulation from bulk RNA-seq from 16 matched male and 19 matched female brain and placenta samples revealed a strong dimorphic trend in gene expression. In male pregnancies, differentially correlated genes were predominantly over-expressed with increasing maternal weight (i.e. gene expression increased as maternal triglycerides increased); the opposite effect was seen in female pregnancies. In the male brain, only 45 genes significantly correlated with maternal triglyceride accumulation (either positive or negative), whereas 781 genes were significantly correlated in females.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE188872 | GEO | 2021/11/18

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Human placenta bulk mRNA-sequencing from n=124 first trimester (59 female, 65 male) and n=43 third trimester (18 female, 25 male) tissue samples. A subset of 23 pregnancies has matched placenta tissue collected at both first and third trimester. Tissue was collected at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, USA. First trimester placenta was collected at gestational ages of 70-100 days from leftover tissue from chorionic villus sampling for prenatal genetic diagnosis, after cleaning to remove maternal decidua. Third trimester placenta was collected after delivery at gestational ages 254-290 days from the fetal side near the umbilical cord insertion site beneath the amnion. Tissue was stored in RNAlater RNA Stabilization Solution (Invitrogen) at -80C until further processing. All pregnancies were conceived without fertility treatments, were normal karyotype, and resulted in live singleton births. Mothers with pre-existing diabetes or hypertension were excluded from the study, but not excluded if complications developed during pregnancy, though most pregnancies were uncomplicated. The average parental age was advanced (over 35 years old) but principal components analysis did not show clustering by either maternal or paternal age. RNA extraction was performed with physical homogenization of tissue followed by the AllPrep DNA/RNA/miRNA Universal Kit (QIAGEN), then 1 ug of the total RNA elution was used for library construction using the Illumina TruSeq Stranded mRNA library preparation kit (Illumina), with polyA mRNA selection then cDNA synthesis using SuperScript II reverse transcriptase (Invitrogen) and random primers. The cDNA was converted into double stranded DNA and PCR-amplified, then purified with Agencourt AMPure XP beads (Beckman Coulter). Sample libraries were multiplexed and sequenced on a NovaSeq 6000 platform (Illumina) using 75bp single-end mRNA-sequencing, with average 30 million reads per sample. Differential expression analysis was performed with DEseq2 to compare first versus third trimester placenta, adjusted for fetal sex [PubMed ID: 38271627]. Subanalyses were also performed to identify sex differences.

Project description:Activation of the maternal immune system during pregnancy can fetal development, which can lead to postnatal susceptibility to a wide range of diseases, including cardiovascular, metabolic and psychiatric disorders. During maternal immune activation (MIA), the maternal body must balance its ressources between mounting an immune response and investing resources into continued metabolism and growth : both essential for survival of the fetus and a successful pregnancy. How the placenta responds to MIA over time and how it can protect the fetus is not well understood, and neither are the fetal consequences of MIA. Here, we characterised the response to an induced acute inflammation in maternal lungs over time across maternal and fetal organs, using a combination of omics-methods, imaging and integrative computational analysis. We found that the placenta, unlike other maternal organs, did not react by inducing a typical inflammatory response, but instead initially induced genes associated to strengthen tissue integrity and simultaneously reduced growth to prevent exposure to potential infections. Afterwards, a return to homeostasis was observed, with heightened biosynthesis and expression of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress genes. This mechanism likely protects the fetus from inflammation, as we observed no immune response in the fetal liver transcriptome. Instead, we observed metabolic adaptations in the fetus, including a release of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) Notably, DHA has a crucial function for fetal brain development , and levels of triglyceride and phosphatidylcholine lipids that are necessary for transportation of DHA to the brain were also increased. This metabolic response is likely a combination of the placental MIA response and temporary maternal fasting, caused by MIA-induced fever and lack of nutrient intake. Our study shows, for the first time, the temporal and systemic response to MIA in lungs across maternal and fetal organs.

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Maternal diet disrupts the placenta-brain axis in a sex-specific manner

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