Project description:Aims: Epidemiological and animal studies have shown that maternal diet can influence metabolism in adult offspring. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes remain poorly understood. Here, we aim to explore phenotypes induced by maternal obesity in a mouse model and examine gene expression and epigenetic alterations in adulthood induced by maternal diet. Methods: We analyzed genetically identical male mice born from dams fed a high- or low-fat diet throughout pregnancy and until day 21 postpartum. After weaning, half of the males of each group were fed a high-fat diet, the other half a low-fat diet. We first characterized the genome-wide gene expression patterns of six tissues of adult offspring - liver, pancreas, white adipose, brain, muscle and heart [GSE40903] . We then measured DNA methylation patterns in liver at selected loci and throughout the genome. Results: Maternal diet had a significant effect on the body weight of the offspring when they are fed an obesogenic diet after weaning. Our analyses showed that maternal diet had a pervasive effect on gene expression, with a pronounced effect in liver where it affected many genes involved in inflammation, cholesterol synthesis and RXR activation. Maternal diet had no detectable effect on DNA methylation in the liver. Conclusions: Overall, our findings highlighted the persistent influence of maternal diet on adult tissue regulation and suggested that the transcriptional changes were unlikely to be caused by DNA methylation differences in adult liver. Methylation is compared between nine week old animals fed a common diet as adults, but derived from mothers fed different diets.
Project description:We performed unbiased transcriptional profiling of white adipose tissue (eWAT, epididymal white adipose tissue) from mice to determine mechanisms by which xanthohumol and tetrahydroxanthohumol supplementation could ameliorate hepatosteatosis induced by a HFD at the transcriptional level. We conducted RNA-seq analysis of total RNA of ewat obtained from mice after 16 weeks on the diet.
Project description:Aims: Epidemiological and animal studies have shown that maternal diet can influence metabolism in adult offspring. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes remain poorly understood. Here, we aim to explore phenotypes induced by maternal obesity in a mouse model and examine gene expression and epigenetic alterations in adulthood induced by maternal diet. Methods: We analyzed genetically identical male mice born from dams fed a high- or low-fat diet throughout pregnancy and until day 21 postpartum. After weaning, half of the males of each group were fed a high-fat diet, the other half a low-fat diet. We first characterized the genome-wide gene expression patterns of six tissues of adult offspring - liver, pancreas, white adipose, brain, muscle and heart [GSE40903] . We then measured DNA methylation patterns in liver at selected loci and throughout the genome. Results: Maternal diet had a significant effect on the body weight of the offspring when they are fed an obesogenic diet after weaning. Our analyses showed that maternal diet had a pervasive effect on gene expression, with a pronounced effect in liver where it affected many genes involved in inflammation, cholesterol synthesis and RXR activation. Maternal diet had no detectable effect on DNA methylation in the liver. Conclusions: Overall, our findings highlighted the persistent influence of maternal diet on adult tissue regulation and suggested that the transcriptional changes were unlikely to be caused by DNA methylation differences in adult liver. Methylation is compared between nine week old animals fed a common diet as adults, but derived from mothers fed different diets. Sequence of PCR amplification of bisulfite converted genomic DNA of numerous loci
Project description:To assess changes in expression level of various chemokines and their receptors on diet-induced obesity, we analysed gene expression in adipose tissue of C56BL/6J mice fed a high-fat (HF) diet or normal chow diet for 8 weeks. HF diet-induced obese (DIO) mice showed adipose tissue inflammation and insulin resistance. Comprehensive gene expression analysis showed that MCP-1–CCR2 and CCL5–CCR5 signalling in epididymal white adipose tissue (eWAT) were enhanced during the development of obesity. Surprisingly, the gene expression of Cx3cl1 was decreased in the eWAT of DIO mice compared with lean mice. While Cx3cr1 expression showed no significant difference between DIO and lean mice. Decreased CX3CL1-CX3CR1 signalling in adipose tissue may also be involved in the development of obesity-induced adipose tissue inflammation and insulin resistance.