Project description:It is known that both maternal and paternal health/disease can influence the early development and later metabolic homeostasis of the offspring. We investigated whether maternal exercise during gestation alone could protect the offspring from the adverse effects of either maternal or paternal obesity induced by high-fat diet (HFD). To understand the underlying mechanisms we performed transcriptomics, whole-genome DNA methylation and targeted DNA methylation analysis at the metabolic master regulator, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor g coactivator-1a (Pgc-1a) promoter in the adult offspring skeletal muscle. Both maternal and paternal HFD resulted in impaired glucose tolerance in the offspring at 9 months of age. Maternal exercise during gestation completely mitigated this metabolic impairment induced by either maternal or paternal HFD. Adult offspring exposed to either maternal or paternal HFD without exercise during gestation had skeletal muscle transcriptional profiles enriched in genes regulating inflammation and immune responses, whereas maternal exercise resulted in a transcriptional profile that was more similar to control offspring from normal chow fed parents. Changes in promoter and CpG DNA methylation were detected between the groups but did not explain the transcriptional changes. Maternal HFD increased methylation of the Pgc-1α promoter at CpG -260, which was prevented by maternal exercise. Paternal HFD did not affect the methylation of the Pgc-1α promoter. These findings demonstrate the negative consequences of maternal and paternal obesity for the offspring’s metabolic outcomes later in life and the clear benefits of maternal exercise during gestation. The mechanisms involve transcriptional regulation of skeletal muscle likely through multiple types of epigenetic modifications.
Project description:It is known that both maternal and paternal health/disease can influence the early development and later metabolic homeostasis of the offspring. We investigated whether maternal exercise during gestation alone could protect the offspring from the adverse effects of either maternal or paternal obesity induced by high-fat diet (HFD). To understand the underlying mechanisms we performed transcriptomics, whole-genome DNA methylation and targeted DNA methylation analysis at the metabolic master regulator, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor g coactivator-1a (Pgc-1a) promoter in the adult offspring skeletal muscle. Both maternal and paternal HFD resulted in impaired glucose tolerance in the offspring at 9 months of age. Maternal exercise during gestation completely mitigated this metabolic impairment induced by either maternal or paternal HFD. Adult offspring exposed to either maternal or paternal HFD without exercise during gestation had skeletal muscle transcriptional profiles enriched in genes regulating inflammation and immune responses, whereas maternal exercise resulted in a transcriptional profile that was more similar to control offspring from normal chow fed parents. Changes in promoter and CpG DNA methylation were detected between the groups but did not explain the transcriptional changes. Maternal HFD increased methylation of the Pgc-1α promoter at CpG -260, which was prevented by maternal exercise. Paternal HFD did not affect the methylation of the Pgc-1α promoter. These findings demonstrate the negative consequences of maternal and paternal obesity for the offspring’s metabolic outcomes later in life and the clear benefits of maternal exercise during gestation. The mechanisms involve transcriptional regulation of skeletal muscle likely through multiple types of epigenetic modifications.
Project description:Maternal obesity is a growing health concern that predisposes offspring to metabolic dysfunction, immune system alterations, and neurodegenerative disorders. To investigate the intergenerational effects of maternal obesity, we used Drosophila melanogaster models exposed to high-sugar (HSD) and high-fat diets (HFD). We found that maternal diet-induced obesity significantly altered offspring lifespan, immune function, and neuronal health in a sex- and diet-specific manner. Male offspring were particularly susceptible, exhibiting reduced lifespan, impaired climbing ability, and increased axonal degeneration, especially following maternal HFD exposure. Transcriptomic analyses revealed age-dependent and diet-specific changes, with males showing pronounced alterations at 50 days of age. Developmental programming of hemocytes (macrophage-like cells) played a crucial role in these outcomes, as knockdown of key immune pathways such as Relish and Upd3 in hemocytes further influenced lifespan in a diet-specific manner. These findings highlight the complex interplay between maternal diet and immune function, underscoring the importance of immune cells in mediating the long-term health consequences of maternal obesity. Our study provides new insights into conserved mechanisms linking maternal metabolic health to offspring outcomes and emphasizes the continued need for animal models to understand intergenerational health impacts.
Project description:Maternal obesity has long-term effects on offspring metabolic health. Among the potential mechanisms, prior research has indicated potential disruptions in circadian rhythms and gut microbiota in the offspring. To challenge this hypothesis, we implemented a maternal high fat diet regimen before and during pregnancy, followed by a standard diet after birth. Our findings confirm that maternal obesity impacts offspring birth weight and glucose and lipid metabolisms. However, we found minimal impact on circadian rhythms and microbiota that are predominantly driven by the feeding/fasting cycle. Notably, maternal obesity altered rhythmic liver gene expression, affecting mitochondrial function and inflammatory response without disrupting the hepatic circadian clock. These changes could be explained by a masculinisation of liver gene expression similar to the changes observed in polycystic ovarian syndrome. Intriguingly, such alterations seem to provide the first-generation offspring with a degree of protection against obesity when exposed to a high fat diet.
Project description:Maternal obesity and diabetes is associated with increased risk of obesity and diabetes in offspring. We generated a model of maternal caloric excess in Drosophila and noted altered body composition in offspring from females fed a high-sucrose diet. To gain insight into the mechanisms underlying this response, we profiled gene expression in mid-third instar larvae (mid-L3) offspring from either control or high-sucrose fed females. All offspring were raised on control food. We used microarrays to detail the response of Drosophila larvae to maternal high calorie diet Virgin female w1118 flies were fed control (0.15M) or high (1M) sucrose food for 7 days, mated with male w1118 flies such that all embryos were laid on control food. Mid-L3 larvae were selected for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays. Mid-L3 were selected as L2, aged overnight until early L3, then transferred to fresh control food for 12 more hours before selection.
Project description:Maternal obesity programs the offspring to cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and obesity. We sequenced and profiled the cardiac miRNAs that were dysregulated in the hearts of baboon fetuses born to a high fat / high fructose diet fed mothers compared to a regular diet fed mothers. Fetal hearts were collected from baboon fetuses born to obese and lean mothers, total RNA was isolated, and fetal cardiac miRNA were sequenced and profiled
Project description:Maternal obesity programs the offspring to cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance, and obesity. We sequenced and profiled the cardiac miRNAs that were dysregulated in the hearts of baboon fetuses born to a high fat / high fructose diet fed mothers compared to a regular diet fed mothers.
Project description:Maternal obesity can program offspring metabolism across multiple generations. It is not known whether multigenerational effects reflect true inheritance of the induced phenotype, or are due to serial propagation of the phenotype through repeated exposure to a compromised gestational milieu. Here we sought to distinguish these possibilities, using the Avy mouse model of maternal obesity. In this model, F1 sons of obese dams display a predisposition to hepatic insulin resistance which remains latent unless the offspring are challenged with a Western diet. We find that F2 grandsons and F3 great-grandsons of obese dams also carry the latent predisposition to metabolic dysfunction, but remain metabolically normal on a healthy diet. Given that the breeding animals giving rise to F2 and F3 were maintained on a healthy diet, the latency of the phenotype permits exclusion of serial programming; we also confirmed that F1 females remained metabolically healthy during pregnancy. Molecular analyses of male descendants identified upregulation of hepatic Apoa4 as a consistent signature of the latent phenotype across all generations. Our results exclude serial programming as a factor in transmission of the metabolic phenotype induced by ancestral maternal obesity, and indicate inheritance through the germline, probably via some form of epigenetic inheritance.
Project description:Objective Recent evidence indicates that the adult hematopoietic system is susceptible to diet-induced lineage skewing. It is not known whether the developing hematopoietic system is subject to metabolic programming via in utero high fat diet (HFD) exposure, an established mechanism of adult disease in several organ systems. We previously reported substantial losses in offspring liver size with prenatal HFD. As the liver is the main hematopoietic organ in the fetus, we asked whether the developmental expansion of the hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) pool is compromised by prenatal HFD and/or maternal obesity. Methods We used quantitative assays, progenitor colony formation, flow cytometry, transplantation, and gene expression assays with a series of dietary manipulations to test the effects of gestational high fat diet and maternal obesity on the day 14.5 fetal liver hematopoietic system. Results Maternal obesity, particularly when paired with gestational HFD, restricts physiological expansion of fetal HSPCs while promoting the opposing cell fate of differentiation. Importantly, these effects are only partially ameliorated by gestational dietary adjustments for obese dams. Competitive transplantation reveals compromised repopulation and myeloid-biased differentiation of HFD-programmed HSPCs to be a niche-dependent defect, apparent in HFD-conditioned male recipients. Fetal HSPC deficiencies coincide with perturbations in genes regulating metabolism, immune and inflammatory processes, and stress response, along with downregulation of genes critical for hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal and activation of pathways regulating cell migration. Conclusions Our data reveal a previously unrecognized susceptibility to nutritional and metabolic developmental programming in the fetal HSPC compartment, which is a partially reversible and microenvironment-dependent defect perturbing stem and progenitor cell expansion and hematopoietic lineage commitment. Examination of differentially expressed genes between gestational day 15 (+/- 0.5 days) C57BL/6 mouse fetal livers from diet-induced (60% fat diet) obese or control female mice.
Project description:Obesity is a global health concern affecting over 650 million adults with a major contributor being an increased consumption of a high-fat diet. Maternal obesity often results in an increased risk of offspring developing obesity. In this study, we examined the effect of diet on visceral adipose in a pre-clinical model of generational diet-induced obesity that included maternal cohorts of C57BL/6 mice fed either a control diet (10% fat) or a high-fat diet (45% fat) and the resulting female offspring fed either diet. Using bottom-up proteomics on omental adipose tissue, differential protein expression was determined with the greatest difference resulting from the generational obese cohort. Differentially expressed proteins were involved in pathways related to cancer, inflammatory disease and immune response. Taken together, the results of this study provide molecular-level insight that will enable the development of more targeted, modifiable interventions that could be implemented pre-, during and post-pregnancy.