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Harrison DJ, Creeth HDJ, Tyson HR, Boque-Sastre R, Hunter S, Dwyer DM, Isles AR, John RM. Placental endocrine insufficiency programs anxiety, deficits in cognition and atypical social behaviour in offspring. Hum Mol Genet 2021; 30:1863-1880. [PMID: 34100083 PMCID: PMC8444454 DOI: 10.1093/hmg/ddab154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Abnormally elevated expression of the imprinted PHLDA2 gene has been reported in the placenta of human babies that are growth restricted in utero in several studies. We previously modelled this gene alteration in mice and found that just 2-fold increased expression of Phlda2 resulted in placental endocrine insufficiency. In addition, elevated Phlda2 was found to drive fetal growth restriction (FGR) of transgenic offspring and impaired maternal care by their wildtype mothers. Being born small and being exposed to suboptimal maternal care have both been associated with the increased risk of mental health disorders in human populations. In the current study we probed behavioural consequences of elevated Phlda2 for the offspring. We discovered increased anxiety-like behaviours, deficits in cognition and atypical social behaviours, with the greatest impact on male offspring. Subsequent analysis revealed alterations in the transcriptome of the adult offspring hippocampus, hypothalamus and amygdala, regions consistent with these behavioural observations. The inclusion of a group of fully wildtype controls raised in a normal maternal environment allowed us to attribute behavioural and molecular alterations to the adverse maternal environment induced by placental endocrine insufficiency rather than the specific gene change of elevated Phlda2. Our work demonstrates that a highly common alteration reported in human FGR is associated with negative behavioural outcomes later in life. Importantly, we also establish the experimental paradigm that placental endocrine insufficiency can program atypical behaviour in offspring highlighting the under-appreciated role of placental endocrine insufficiency in driving disorders of later life behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- David J Harrison
- Biomedicine Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Hugo D J Creeth
- Biomedicine Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Hannah R Tyson
- Biomedicine Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Raquel Boque-Sastre
- Biomedicine Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Susan Hunter
- Biomedicine Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Dominic M Dwyer
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, CF10 3AX, UK
| | - Anthony R Isles
- Behavioural Genetics Group, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, CF24 4HQ
| | - Rosalind M John
- Biomedicine Division, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK, CF10 3AX, UK
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Sohel MMH. Macronutrient modulation of mRNA and microRNA function in animals: A review. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020; 6:258-268. [PMID: 33005759 PMCID: PMC7503081 DOI: 10.1016/j.aninu.2020.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2019] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Dietary macronutrients have been regarded as a basic source of energy and amino acids that are necessary for the maintenance of cellular homeostasis, metabolic programming as well as protein synthesis. Due to the emergence of “nutrigenomics”, a unique discipline that combines nutritional and omics technologies to study the impacts of nutrition on genomics, it is increasingly evident that macronutrients also have a significant role in the gene expression regulation. Gene expression is a complex phenomenon controlled by several signaling pathways and could be influenced by a wide variety of environmental and physiological factors. Dietary macronutrients are the most important environmental factor influencing the expression of both genes and microRNAs (miRNA). miRNA are tiny molecules of 18 to 22 nucleotides long that regulate the expression of genes. Therefore, dietary macronutrients can influence the expression of genes in both direct and indirect manners. Recent advancements in the state-of-the-art technologies regarding molecular genetics, such as next-generation sequencing, quantitative PCR array, and microarray, allowed us to investigate the occurrence of genome-wide changes in the expression of genes in relation to augmented or reduced dietary macronutrient intake. The purpose of this review is to accumulate the current knowledge focusing on macronutrient mediated changes in the gene function. This review will discuss the impact of altered dietary carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake on the expression of coding genes and their functions. In addition, it will also summarize the regulation of miRNA, both cellular and extracellular miRNA, expression modulated by dietary macronutrients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Md Mahmodul Hasan Sohel
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Erciyes University, Kayseri, 38039, Turkey.,Genome and Stem Cell Centre, Erciyes University, Kayseri, 38039, Turkey
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John RM. Prenatal Adversity Modulates the Quality of Maternal Care Via the Exposed Offspring. Bioessays 2019; 41:e1900025. [PMID: 31094007 DOI: 10.1002/bies.201900025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2019] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Adversities in pregnancy, including poor diet and stress, are associated with increased risk of developing both metabolic and mental health disorders later in life, a phenomenon described as fetal programming or developmental origins of disease. Predominant hypotheses proposed to explain this relationship suggest that the adversity imposes direct changes to the developing fetus which are maintained after birth resulting in an increased susceptibility to ill health. However, during pregnancy the mother, the developing fetus, and the placenta are all exposed to the adversity. The same adversities linked to altered offspring outcome can also result in suboptimal maternal care, which is considered an independent adverse exposure for the offspring. Recent key experiments in mice reveal the potential of prenatal adversity to drive alterations in maternal care through abnormal maternal-pup interactions and via alterations in placental signaling. Together, these data highlight the critical importance of viewing fetal programming holistically paying attention to the intimate, bidirectional, and reiterative relationship between mothers and their offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosalind M John
- Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AX, UK
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Haque M, Starr LM, Koski KG, Scott ME. Differential expression of genes in fetal brain as a consequence of maternal protein deficiency and nematode infection. Int J Parasitol 2017; 48:51-58. [PMID: 28903026 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpara.2017.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2017] [Revised: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 07/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Maternal dietary protein deficiency and gastrointestinal nematode infection during early pregnancy have negative impacts on both maternal placental gene expression and fetal growth in the mouse. Here we used next-generation RNA sequencing to test our hypothesis that maternal protein deficiency and/or nematode infection also alter the expression of genes in the developing fetal brain. Outbred pregnant CD1 mice were used in a 2×2 design with two levels of dietary protein (24% versus 6%) and two levels of infection (repeated sham versus Heligmosomoides bakeri beginning at gestation day 5). Pregnant dams were euthanized on gestation day 18 to harvest the whole fetal brain. Four fetal brains from each treatment group were analyzed using RNA Hi-Seq sequencing and the differential expression of genes was determined by the edgeR package using NetworkAnalyst. In response to maternal H. bakeri infection, 96 genes (88 up-regulated and eight down-regulated) were differentially expressed in the fetal brain. Differentially expressed genes were involved in metabolic processes, developmental processes and the immune system according to the PANTHER classification system. Among the important biological functions identified, several up-regulated genes have known neurological functions including neuro-development (Gdf15, Ing4), neural differentiation (miRNA let-7), synaptic plasticity (via suppression of NF-κβ), neuro-inflammation (S100A8, S100A9) and glucose metabolism (Tnnt1, Atf3). However, in response to maternal protein deficiency, brain-specific serine protease (Prss22) was the only up-regulated gene and only one gene (Dynlt1a) responded to the interaction of maternal nematode infection and protein deficiency. In conclusion, maternal exposure to GI nematode infection from day 5 to 18 of pregnancy may influence developmental programming of the fetal brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manjurul Haque
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University (Macdonald Campus), Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec H9X 3V9, Canada; Centre for Host Parasite Interactions, McGill University (Macdonald Campus), Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Lisa M Starr
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University (Macdonald Campus), Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Kristine G Koski
- School of Human Nutrition, McGill University (Macdonald Campus), Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec H9X 3V9, Canada; Centre for Host Parasite Interactions, McGill University (Macdonald Campus), Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec H9X 3V9, Canada
| | - Marilyn E Scott
- Institute of Parasitology, McGill University (Macdonald Campus), Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec H9X 3V9, Canada; Centre for Host Parasite Interactions, McGill University (Macdonald Campus), Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Québec H9X 3V9, Canada.
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DOHaD at the intersection of maternal immune activation and maternal metabolic stress: a scoping review. J Dev Orig Health Dis 2017; 8:273-283. [PMID: 28196555 DOI: 10.1017/s2040174417000010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The prenatal environment is now recognized as a key driver of non-communicable disease risk later in life. Within the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) paradigm, studies are increasingly identifying links between maternal morbidity during pregnancy and disease later in life for offspring. Nutrient restriction, metabolic disorders during gestation, such as diabetes or obesity, and maternal immune activation provoked by infection have been linked to adverse health outcomes for offspring later in life. These factors frequently co-occur, but the potential for compounding effects of multiple morbidities on DOHaD-related outcomes has not received adequate attention. This is of particular importance in low- or middle-income countries (LMICs), which have ongoing high rates of infectious diseases and are now experiencing transitions from undernutrition to excess adiposity. The purpose of this scoping review is to summarize studies examining the effect and interaction of co-occurring metabolic or nutritional stressors and infectious diseases during gestation on DOHaD-related health outcomes. We identified nine studies in humans - four performed in the United States and five in LMICs. The most common outcome, also in seven of nine studies, was premature birth or low birth weight. We identified nine animal studies, six in mice, two in rats and one in sheep. The interaction between metabolic/nutritional exposures and infectious exposures had varying effects including synergism, inhibition and independent actions. No human studies were specifically designed to assess the interaction of metabolic/nutritional exposures and infectious diseases. Future studies of neonatal outcomes should measure these exposures and explicitly examine their concerted effect.
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