Project description:We analysed the combined effects of exposure to maternal diabetes and disrupted HIF-1 signaling on the transcriptom in cardiac left ventricles of 12 weeks old male mice. This approach provides the information about the long term changes originating in utero due to maternal diabetes and inefficient response to hypoxia which develops as a result of hyperglycemia. The majority of changes were detected in Hif1a insufficient mice exposed to maternal diabetes.
Project description:Maternal diabetes is a recognized risk factor for both short-term and long-term complications in offspring. Beyond the direct teratogenicity of maternal diabetes, the intrauterine environment can influence offspring cardiovascular health. Abnormalities in the cardiac sympathetic system are implicated in conditions such as sudden infant death syndrome, cardiac arrhythmic death, heart failure, and certain congenital heart defects in children from diabetic pregnancies. However, the mechanisms by which maternal diabetes affect the development of the cardiac sympathetic system and consequently, heightening health risks and predisposing to cardiovascular disease remain poorly understood. In this study, we present a comprehensive analysis of the combined impact of a Hif1a-deficient sympathetic system and the maternal diabetes environment on both heart development and the formation of the cardiac sympathetic system. The synergic negative effect of exposure to maternal diabetes and Hif1a deficiency resulted in the most pronounced deficit in cardiac sympathetic innervation and the development of adrenal medulla. Abnormalities in the cardiac sympathetic system were accompanied by a smaller heart, reduced ventricular wall thickness, dilated subepicardial veins, and coronary arteries in the myocardium, along with anomalies in the branching and connections of the main coronary arteries. Transcriptional profiling by RNA-seq revealed significant transcriptome changes in Hif1a-deficient sympathetic neurons, primarily associated with cell cycle regulation, proliferation, and mitosis, explaining the shrinkage of the sympathetic neuron population. Our data demonstrate that a failure to adequately activate HIF-1α regulatory pathway, particularly in the context of maternal diabetes, may contribute to abnormalities in the cardiac sympathetic system. In conclusion, our findings indicate that the interplay between deficiencies in the cardiac sympathetic system and subtle structural alternations in the vasculature, microvasculature, and myocardium during heart development not only increases the risk of cardiovascular disease but also diminishes the adaptability to the stress associated with the transition to extrauterine life, thus, increasing the risk of neonatal death.
Project description:Maternal obesity and diabetes is associated with increased risk of obesity and diabetes in offspring. We generated a model of maternal caloric excess in Drosophila and noted altered body composition in offspring from females fed a high-sucrose diet. To gain insight into the mechanisms underlying this response, we profiled gene expression in mid-third instar larvae (mid-L3) offspring from either control or high-sucrose fed females. All offspring were raised on control food. We used microarrays to detail the response of Drosophila larvae to maternal high calorie diet
Project description:Maternal obesity and diabetes is associated with increased risk of obesity and diabetes in offspring. We generated a model of maternal caloric excess in Drosophila and noted altered body composition in offspring from females fed a high-sucrose diet. To gain insight into the mechanisms underlying this response, we profiled gene expression in mid-third instar larvae (mid-L3) offspring from either control or high-sucrose fed females. All offspring were raised on control food. We used microarrays to detail the response of Drosophila larvae to maternal high calorie diet Virgin female w1118 flies were fed control (0.15M) or high (1M) sucrose food for 7 days, mated with male w1118 flies such that all embryos were laid on control food. Mid-L3 larvae were selected for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays. Mid-L3 were selected as L2, aged overnight until early L3, then transferred to fresh control food for 12 more hours before selection.
Project description:Evaluate differences in gene methylation levels between offspring born after maternal bariatric surgery and their siblings born before surgery Offspring born after maternal bariatric surgery (AMS, N=25) vs. offspring born before maternal surgery (BMS, N=25)
Project description:Evaluate differences in gene expression levels between offspring born after maternal bariatric surgery and their siblings born before surgery Offspring born after maternal bariatric surgery (AMS, N=23) vs. offspring born before maternal surgery (BMS, N=23)
Project description:Maternal high-fat consumption has negative effects on the offspring’s obesity/diabetes susceptibility and we hypothesize that epigenetic modifications in the skeletal muscle are partly responsible for this phenotype. To detect genes affected by maternal nutrition, offspring of low-fat (LF) and high-fat (HF) diet fed dams (C57BL/6 mice) received LF diet upon weaning and were sacrificed at an age of 6 or 25 weeks. M. quadriceps gene expression was investigated by microarray analysis revealing upregulation of the nuclear receptor Nr4a1 by maternal HF feeding. This was accompanied by promoter hypomethylation of CpG‑1408 which correlated with higher Nr4a1 gene expression at both ages. Offspring voluntary exercise training normalized Nr4a1 methylation/expression and ameliorated the negative effects of maternal HF feeding on insulin sensitivity. Overall, Nr4a1 expression correlated with higher insulin levels during oral glucose tolerance test and could, therefore, be involved in the programming offspring’s diabetes susceptibility.
Project description:Early-life exposure to high-fat diet (HF) can program metabolic and cognitive alterations in adult offspring. Although the hippocampus plays a crucial role in memory and metabolic homeostasis, few studies reported the impact of maternal HF on this structure. We assessed the effects of maternal HF during lactation on physiological, metabolic and cognitive parameters in young adult offspring mice. To identify early-programming mechanisms in hippocampus, we developed a multi-omics strategy in male and female offspring. Maternal HF induced a transient increased body weight at weaning, a mild glucose intolerance only in 3-month-old male mice with no change in plasma metabolic parameters in adult male and female offspring. Behavioral alterations revealed by Barnes maze test were observed both in 6-month-old male and female mice. Multi-omics strategy unveiled sex-specific transcriptomic and proteomic modifications in the hippocampus of adult offspring. These studies, that were confirmed by regulon analysis, showing that, although genes whose expression was modified by maternal HF were different between sexes, the main pathways affected were similar with mitochondria and synapses as main hippocampal targets of maternal HF. The effects of maternal HF reported here may help to better characterize sex-dependent molecular pathways involved in cognitive disorders and neurodegenerative diseases.