Project description:The objective of the present study is to investigate gene regulation in developing fetal brain in congenic or inbred mice strains that differ in longevity. Gene expression and alternative splice variants were analyzed in a genome-wide manner in the fetal brain of C57BL/6J mice (long-lived), and compared to that of a congenic strain (short-lived) or an inbred strain AKR/J (short-lived) on days 12, 15 and 17 of gestation. The analysis showed a contrasting gene expression pattern during fetal brain development in these mice. Genes related to brain development, aging and spliceosome were significantly differentially regulated in the fetal brain of the short-lived mice when brain developed from d15 to d17. A significantly reduced number of splice variants were observed on d15 compared to d12 or d17 but in a strain-dependent manner.
Project description:RNA-seq identified different gene sets relating to biological functions such as aging, longevity, and nutrient sensing and signaling that were regulated in a sex-biased manner between the placenta and fetal brain. Conditional knockout of the transcription factor Forkhead Box A2 (Foxa2) in the uterus elicited sexual conflicting expression of those genes between the placenta and fetal brain.
Project description:High blood glucose level is one of the main characteristics of diabetes mellitus (DM). It is speculated that longevity families may have certain advantages in blood glucose regulation. But till now, limited information on these items is reported. In this study, a TMT- based comparative quantitative proteomics analysis was used to reveal the changes of plasma proteomics profiles between longevity subjects and non-longevity area participants in order to identify plasma proteins associated with glucose metabolism in longevity population and to explore the characteristics of blood glucose regulation in longevity population
Project description:Maternal over- and undernutrition in pregnancy plays a critical role in fetal brain development and function. The effects of different maternal diet compositions on intrauterine programming of the fetal brain in the absence of maternal obesity or maternal undernutrition is a lesser-explored area. The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of two different maternal diets on fetal brain gene expression signatures, fetal/neonatal growth, and neonatal behavior in a mouse model. Female C57Bl/6J mice were fed one of two commercially-available chow diets (pelleted vs. powdered) with differing micronutrient and carbohydrate compositions throughout pregnancy and lactation. The powdered chow diet was richer in carbohydrates and lower in micronutrients than the pelleted chow diet, among other differences. On embryonic day 15.5, embryos were weighed and measured. Fetal brains were snap frozen. RNA was extracted from fetal forebrains for five fetuses per diet group and hybridized to whole genome expression microarrays. Functional analyses identified significant upregulation of canonical pathways and upstream regulators involved in cell cycle regulation, synaptic plasticity, and sensory nervous system development in the fetal brain, and significant downregulation of pathways related to cell and embryo death. Pathways related to DNA damage response, humoral and cell-mediated immune response, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, small molecule biosynthesis, and amino acid metabolism were also dysregulated. Maternal dietary content is an important variable for researchers evaluating fetal brain development and offspring behavior to consider. Selection of a chow diet matched for micronutrients is crucial to avoid unexpected or undesired effects on offspring brain development and behavior.