Project description:To prove our hypothesis that excess folic acid supplementation is responsible for widespread gene expression changes during gestational development that may be responsible for abnormal behaviors later on in the life, we have used whole genome microarray expression profiling in lymphoblstoid cells as a proof of concept. Human lymphoblastoid cells in culture were supplemented with folic acid, and four days later gene expression changes were measured. Expression of three genes (FMR1, GPR37L1 and TSSK3) from this data was confirmed by Western blot analyses. Dysregulation of other genes (ARHGAP6, EF1A1, MEST, SMAD3) was confirmed by qRT-PCR.
Project description:To prove our hypothesis that excess folic acid supplementation is responsible for widespread gene expression changes during gestational development that may be responsible for abnormal behaviors later on in the life, we have used whole genome microarray expression profiling in lymphoblstoid cells as a proof of concept. Human lymphoblastoid cells in culture were supplemented with folic acid, and four days later gene expression changes were measured. Expression of three genes (FMR1, GPR37L1 and TSSK3) from this data was confirmed by Western blot analyses. Dysregulation of other genes (ARHGAP6, EF1A1, MEST, SMAD3) was confirmed by qRT-PCR. Lymphoid cells at confluence were grown with or without folic acid for four days. Total mRNA was prepared and labeled with cyanine-3 (Cy3), followed by hybridization. RNA samples from three independent experiments were pooled.
Project description:Maternal vitamins and micronutrients during gestational periods have profound impact on the developmemt of newborns as well as influence susceptibility to chronic conditions. Folic acid is indicated to women during pregnancies to prevent occurrence of neural tube defects in infants. Recently, evidence is emerging of the epigenetic effects of folic acid. Since epigenetic changes are crucial in developing fetus, we investigated the effect of maternal higher folic acid supplementation on the gene expression in offspring brains to identify if brain development may be affected. Our results revealed that maternal exposure of higher dose FA diet during gestation dysregulates expression of several genes in the cerebellum of both male and female pups. Dysregulated genes included several transcriptional factors, imprinted genes, neurodevelopmental genes and genes associated with autism spectrum disorder.
Project description:Folic acid supplements prior to and during gestation are recommended and necessary to prevent neural tube defects in developing embryos. But there are also studies suggesting possible adverse effects of high-dose folic acid supplementation. Here, we address whether maternal dietary folic acid supplementation at 40 mg/kg chow (FD), restricted to a period prior to conception, affects gene expression in the offspring generation.
Project description:We determined the effects of excess folic acid supplementation (5x recommendation) on maternal and fetal offspring metabolic health. Using a mouse (female C57BL/6J) model of gestational dibetes (GDM; 45% kcal fat diet) and control mice (10% kcal diet) we show that folic acid supplementation increased weight gain and fat mass in both GDM and control mice but improved insulin sensitivity in GDM mice and worsened insulin sensitivity in control mice. We found no unmetabolized folic acid in liver from supplemented mice suggesting the metabolic effects of folic acid supplementation may not be due to unmetabolized folic acid. Male fetal (gestational day 18.5) offspring from folic acid supplemented dams (GDM and control) had greater beta cell mass and density than those from unsupplemented dams; this was not observed in female offspring. Differential sex-specific hepatic gene expression profiles were observed in the offspring from supplemented dams but this differed between GDM and controls. Our findings suggest that folic acid supplementation affects insulin sensitivity in female mice, but is dependent on their metabolic phenotype, and has sex-specific effects on offspring pancreas and liver.
Project description:Folic acid deficiency is common worldwide and is linked to intestinal flora imbalance. The intestinal microbial utilization of folic acid based on model animals faces the challenges of repeatability and individual variability. In this study, we built an in vitro fecal slurry culture model deficient in folic acid. We examined the effects of supplementation with different forms of folic acid (5-methyltetrahydrofolate and non-reduced folic acid) on the modulation of intestinal flora. 16S rDNA gene sequencing showed alpha diversity increased after folic acid supplementation compared to fermentation samples with folic acid deficiency. In the non-reduced folic acid (FA) group, the relative abundance of the Firmicutes phylum dropped to 56.7%, whereas in the 5-methyltetrahydrofolate (MTHF) supplementation group, it grew to 64.9%. Lactobacillus genera became more prevalent, reaching 22.8% and 30.8%, respectively. Additionally, Bifidobacterium and Pedioccus, two common probiotic bacteria, were in higher abundance. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) analysis showed that supplementation with folic acid (non-reduced folic acid, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate) decreased acetic acid and increased the fermentation yield of isobutyric acid. The in vitro fecal slurry culture model developed in this study can be utilized as a human folic acid deficiency model for studying intestinal microbiota and demonstrated that both 5-methyltetrahydrofolate and non-reduced folic acid have effects on the regulation of intestinal microecology.
Project description:DNA methylation profiles from saliva collected from 89 mothers and 179 adolescent children who received or did not receive perinatal folic acid supplementation Periconceptional folic acid supplementation and DNA methylation patterns in adolescents
Project description:Folic acid supplementation (8 mg/kg diet) promotes colon tumor formation in mice with established colitis induced by carcinogen azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sulfate sodium sulfate (DSS). This induction of colon tumors was associated with hypomethylation of DNA cased by folic acid supplementation.
Project description:Folic acid supplementation (8 mg/kg diet) promotes colon tumor formation in mice with established colitis induced by carcinogen azoxymethane (AOM) and dextran sulfate sodium sulfate (DSS). This induction of colon tumors was associated with hypomethylation of DNA cased by folic acid supplementation.