Maternal obesity alters offspring liver and skeletal muscle metabolism in early post-puberty despite maintaining a normal post-weaning dietary lifestyle
Project description:Maternal obesity (MO) during pregnancy is linked to increased and premature risk of age-related metabolic diseases in the offspring. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms still remain not fully understood. Using a well-established nonhuman primate model of MO, we analyzed tissue biopsies and plasma samples obtained from post-pubertal offspring (3-6.5 y) of MO mothers (n = 19) and from control animals born to mothers fed a standard diet (CON, n = 13). All offspring ate a healthy chow diet after weaning. Using untargeted gas chromatography-mass spectrometry metabolomics analysis, we quantified a total of 351 liver, 316 skeletal muscle, and 423 plasma metabolites. We identified 58 metabolites significantly altered in the liver and 46 in the skeletal muscle of MO offspring, with 8 metabolites shared between both tissues. Several metabolites were changed in opposite directions in males and females in both liver and skeletal muscle. Several tissue-specific and 4 shared metabolic pathways were identified from these dysregulated metabolites. Interestingly, none of the tissue-specific metabolic changes were reflected in plasma. Overall, our study describes characteristic metabolic perturbations in the liver and skeletal muscle in MO offspring, indicating that metabolic programming in utero persists postnatally, and revealing potential novel mechanisms that may contribute to age-related metabolic diseases later in life.
Project description:Maternal obesity is proposed to alter the programming of metabolic systems in the offspring, increasing the risk for developing metabolic diseases; however, the cellular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we used a nonhuman primate model to examine the impact of a maternal Western-style diet (WSD) alone, or in combination with obesity (Ob/WSD), on fetal skeletal muscle metabolism studied in the early third trimester. We find that fetal muscle responds to Ob/WSD by upregulating fatty acid metabolism, mitochondrial complex activity, and metabolic switches (CPT-1, PDK4) that promote lipid utilization over glucose oxidation. Ob/WSD fetuses also had reduced mitochondrial content, diminished oxidative capacity, and lower mitochondrial efficiency in muscle. The decrease in oxidative capacity and glucose metabolism was persistent in primary myotubes from Ob/WSD fetuses despite no additional lipid-induced stress. Switching obese mothers to a healthy diet prior to pregnancy did not improve fetal muscle mitochondrial function. Lastly, while maternal WSD alone led only to intermediary changes in fetal muscle metabolism, it was sufficient to increase oxidative damage and cellular stress. Our findings suggest that maternal obesity or WSD, alone or in combination, leads to programmed decreases in oxidative metabolism in offspring muscle. These alterations may have important implications for future health.
Project description:ObjectiveThe effects of maternal undernutrition during midgestation on muscle fiber histology, myosin heavy chain (MyHC) expression, methylation modification of myogenic factors, and the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway in the skeletal muscles of prenatal and postnatal goats were examined.MethodsTwenty-four pregnant goats were assigned to a control (100% of the nutrients requirement, n = 12) or a restricted group (60% of the nutrients requirement, n = 12) between 45 and 100 days of gestation. Descendants were harvested at day 100 of gestation and at day 90 after birth to collect the femoris muscle tissue.ResultsMaternal undernutrition increased (p<0.05) the fiber area of the vastus muscle in the fetuses and enhanced (p<0.01) the proportions of MyHCI and MyHCIIA fibers in offspring, while the proportion of MyHCIIX fibers was decreased (p<0.01). DNA methylation at the +530 cytosine-guanine dinucleotide (CpG) site of the myogenic factor 5 (MYF5) promoter in restricted fetuses was increased (p<0.05), but the methylation of the MYF5 gene at the +274,280 CpG site and of the myogenic differentiation (MYOD) gene at the +252 CpG site in restricted kids was reduced (p<0.05). mTOR protein signals were downregulated (p<0.05) in the restricted offspring.ConclusionMaternal undernutrition altered the muscle fiber type in offspring, but its relationship with methylation in the promoter regions of myogenic genes needs to be elucidated.
Project description:A maternal high-fat (HF) diet during pregnancy can lead to metabolic compromise, such as insulin resistance in adult offspring. Skeletal muscle mitochondrial dysfunction is one mechanism contributing to metabolic impairments in insulin resistant states. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate whether mitochondrial dysfunction is evident in metabolically compromised offspring born to HF-fed dams. Sprague-Dawley dams were randomly assigned to receive a purified control diet (CD; 10% kcal from fat) or a high fat diet (HFD; 45% kcal from fat) for 10 days prior to mating, throughout pregnancy and during lactation. From weaning, all male offspring received a standard chow diet and soleus muscle was collected at day 150. Expression of the mitochondrial transcription factors nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF1) and mitochondrial transcription factor A (mtTFA) were downregulated in HF offspring. Furthermore, genes encoding the mitochondrial electron transport system (ETS) respiratory complex subunits were suppressed in HF offspring. Moreover, protein expression of the complex I subunit, NDUFB8, was downregulated in HF offspring (36%), which was paralleled by decreased maximal catalytic linked activity of complex I and III (40%). Together, these results indicate that exposure to a maternal HF diet during development may elicit lifelong mitochondrial alterations in offspring skeletal muscle.
Project description:BackgroundThe evaluation of alternative splicing, including differential isoform expression and differential exon usage, can provide some insights on the transcriptional changes that occur in response to environmental perturbations. Maternal nutrition is considered a major intrauterine regulator of fetal developmental programming. The objective of this study was to assess potential changes in splicing events in the longissimus dorsi muscle of beef calves gestated under control or methionine-rich diets. RNA sequencing and whole-genome bisulfite sequencing were used to evaluate muscle transcriptome and methylome, respectively.ResultsAlternative splicing patterns were significantly altered by maternal methionine supplementation. Most of the altered genes were directly implicated in muscle development, muscle physiology, ATP activities, RNA splicing and DNA methylation, among other functions. Interestingly, there was a significant association between DNA methylation and differential exon usage. Indeed, among the set of genes that showed differential exon usage, significant differences in methylation level were detected between significant and non-significant exons, and between contiguous and non-contiguous introns to significant exons.ConclusionsOverall, our findings provide evidence that a prenatal diet rich in methyl donors can significantly alter the offspring transcriptome, including changes in isoform expression and exon usage, and some of these changes are mediated by changes in DNA methylation.
Project description:Ablation of Cyp27b1 eliminates calcitriol but does not disturb fetal mineral homeostasis or skeletal development. However, independent of fetal genotypes, maternal loss of Cyp27b1 altered fetal mineral and hormonal levels compared to offspring of WT dams. We hypothesized that these maternal influences would alter postnatal skeletal development. Cyp27b1 null and WT females were mated to bear only Cyp27b1+/- offspring. Forty-eight hours after birth, pups were cross-fostered to dams of the same or opposite genotype that bore them. Maternal and offspring samples were collected on days 21 (weaning) and 42. Offspring measurements included minerals and hormones, BMC by DXA, ash weight and mineral content, gene expression, 3-point bending tests, and microCT. Maternal lactational behavior was evaluated. Milk was analyzed for nutritional content. At day 21, offspring fostered by nulls, independent of birth dam, had ~20% lower weight, BMC, ash weight, and ash calcium than pups fostered by WT dams. Adjustment for body weight accounted for the lower BMC but not the lower ash weight and ash calcium. Hormones and serum/urine minerals did not differ across offspring groups. Offspring fostered by nulls had shorter femurs and lower cortical thickness, mean polar moment of inertia, cortical area, trabecular bone volume, and trabecular number. Dam lactational behaviors and milk nutritional content did not differ between groups. At day 42, body weight, ash weight, lengths, BMC, and tibial bone strength were no longer different between pups fostered by null vs WT dams. In summary, pups fostered by Cyp27b1 nulls, regardless of birth dam, have proportionately smaller skeletons at 21 d, impaired microstructure, but normal mineral homeostasis. The skeletal effects are largely recovered by day 42 (3 wk after weaning). In conclusion, maternal loss of calcitriol impairs early postnatal cortical bone growth and trabecular bone mass, but affected offspring catch up after weaning.
Project description:The previous work has demonstrated that maternal supplementation of the circulating metabolite of vitamin D3 (D3), 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25OHD3), enhances the immunocompetence of broiler chick offspring. In post-hatch broiler diets, 25OHD3 has been shown to affect intestinal morphology and improve the immune status of broilers. An experiment with a 2 × 2 factorial treatment arrangement was conducted to assess the effects of combining maternal (MDIET) and post-hatch (PDIET) dietary 25OHD3 inclusion on duodenal crypt and macrophage cell populations and mitotic activity in young broiler chickens. All diets were formulated to provide 5,000 IU of vitamin D. Broiler breeder hens were offered 1 of 2 MDIET: 5,000 IU D3 per kg of feed (MCTL) or 2,240 IU of D3 + 2,760 IU of 25OHD3 per kg of feed (M25OHD3) from week 25 to 41. Male broiler offspring (n = 480) hatched from eggs collected during week 41 of breeding age were allotted in raised floor pens (4 birds per pen from day 0 to 7 and individually allotted from day 8 to 21). Chicks were fed 1 of 2 PDIET (starter day 0 to 21): 5,000 IU D3 per kg of feed (PCTL) or 2,240 IU D3 + 2,760 IU 25OHD3 (P25OHD3). DUO samples (n = 12 birds per treatment per day) were collected on days 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, and 21 for cryohistological and immunofluorescence analysis to facilitate the enumeration of the total macrophages, CD80+ macrophages (pro-inflammatory macrophages), and mitotically active cells (BrdU+) to calculate the proportion of proliferating cells (PPC) per duodenal crypt. Bird age impacted crypt PPC with the greatest PPC per duodenal crypt observed on days 3 and 9, and the lowest PPC per crypt was observed on day 21 (P < 0.0001). Broilers from the M25OHD3:PCTL treatment had a greater PPC (P =.002) than birds from the MCTL:PCTL treatment at day 3. An interaction among MDIET and PDIET was observed for proliferating macrophages at day 21 (P = 0.029) where M25OHD3:P25OHD3 birds had more proliferating macrophages than M25OHD3:PCTL-fed birds. These results indicate that combined MDIET and PDIET 25OHD3 supplementation may alter early post-hatch duodenal development and innate immunity.
Project description:BackgroundIn mammals, the nutritional status experienced during embryonic development shapes key metabolic pathways and influences the health and phenotype of the future individual, a phenomenon known as nutritional programming. In farmed birds as well, the quantity and quality of feed offered to the dam can impact the phenotype of the offspring. We have previously reported that a 38% reduction in the intake of the methyl donor methionine in the diet of 30 female ducks during the growing and laying periods - from 10 to 51 weeks of age - reduced the body weight of their 180 mule ducklings compared to that of 190 ducklings from 30 control females. The maternal dietary methionine restriction also altered the hepatic energy metabolism studied in 30 of their ducklings. Thus, their plasma glucose and triglyceride concentrations were higher while their plasma free fatty acid level was lower than those measured in the plasma of 30 ducklings from the control group. The objective of this new study was to better understand how maternal dietary methionine restriction affected the livers of their newly hatched male and female ducklings by investigating the hepatic expression levels of 100 genes primarily targeting energy metabolism, amino acid transport, oxidative stress, apoptotic activity and susceptibility to liver injury.ResultsSixteen of the genes studied were differentially expressed between the ducklings from the two groups. Maternal dietary methionine restriction affected the mRNA levels of genes involved in different pathways related to energy metabolism such as glycolysis, lipogenesis or electron transport. Moreover, the mRNA levels of the nuclear receptors PPARGC1B, PPARG and RXRA were also affected.ConclusionsOur results show that the 38% reduction in methionine intake in the diet of female ducks during the growing and egg-laying periods impacted the liver transcriptome of their offspring, which may explain the previously observed differences in their liver energy metabolism. These changes in mRNA levels, together with the observed phenotypic data, suggest an early modulation in the establishment of metabolic pathways.
Project description:Nutritional state in the gestation period influences fetal growth and development. We hypothesized that undernutrition during gestation would affect offspring sleep architecture and/or homeostasis. Pregnant female mice were assigned to either control (fed ad libitum; AD) or 50% dietary restriction (DR) groups from gestation day 12 to parturition. After parturition, dams were fed AD chow. After weaning, the pups were also fed AD into adulthood. At adulthood (aged 8-9 weeks), we carried out sleep recordings. Although offspring mice displayed a significantly reduced body weight at birth, their weights recovered three days after birth. Enhancement of electroencephalogram (EEG) slow wave activity (SWA) during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep was observed in the DR mice over a 24-hour period without changing the diurnal pattern or amounts of wake, NREM, or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. In addition, DR mice also displayed an enhancement of EEG-SWA rebound after a 6-hour sleep deprivation and a higher threshold for waking in the face of external stimuli. DR adult offspring mice exhibited small but significant increases in the expression of hypothalamic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor ? (Ppar?) and brain-specific carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 (Cpt1c) mRNA, two genes involved in lipid metabolism. Undernutrition during pregnancy may influence sleep homeostasis, with offspring exhibiting greater sleep pressure.
Project description:Ad libitum high-fat diet (HFD) induces obesity and skeletal muscle metabolic dysfunction. Liver kinase B1 (LKB1) regulates skeletal muscle metabolism by controlling the AMP-activated protein kinase family, but its importance in regulating muscle gene expression and glucose tolerance in obese mice has not been established. The purpose of this study was to determine how the lack of LKB1 in skeletal muscle (KO) affects gene expression and glucose tolerance in HFD-fed, obese mice. KO and littermate control wild-type (WT) mice were fed a standard diet or HFD for 14 weeks. RNA sequencing, and subsequent analysis were performed to assess mitochondrial content and respiration, inflammatory status, glucose and insulin tolerance, and muscle anabolic signaling. KO did not affect body weight gain on HFD, but heavily impacted mitochondria-, oxidative stress-, and inflammation-related gene expression. Accordingly, mitochondrial protein content and respiration were suppressed while inflammatory signaling and markers of oxidative stress were elevated in obese KO muscles. KO did not affect glucose or insulin tolerance. However, fasting serum insulin and skeletal muscle insulin signaling were higher in the KO mice. Furthermore, decreased muscle fiber size in skmLKB1-KO mice was associated with increased general protein ubiquitination and increased expression of several ubiquitin ligases, but not muscle ring finger 1 or atrogin-1. Taken together, these data suggest that the lack of LKB1 in skeletal muscle does not exacerbate obesity or insulin resistance in mice on a HFD, despite impaired mitochondrial content and function and elevated inflammatory signaling and oxidative stress.