Prenatal maternal stress in rats alters the epigenetic and transcriptomic landscape of the maternal-fetal interface across four generations.

ABSTRACT: Prenatal maternal stress (PNMS) determines lifetime mental and physical health. Here, we show in rats that PNMS has consequences for placental function and fetal brain development across four generations (F0-F3). Using a systems biology approach, comprehensive DNA methylation (DNAm), miRNA, and mRNA profiling revealed a moderate impact of PNMS in the F1 generation, but drastic changes in F2 and F3 generations, suggesting compounding effects of PNMS with each successive generation. Both maternal and placental miRNA gene targets included de novo DNA methyltransferases, indicating robust PNMS-induced disruption in the complex epigenetic regulatory network between miRNAs and DNAm. Transgenerational programming mainly involved genes and biological pathways associated with neurological and psych

SUBMITTER: King SE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11723964 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature