Metabolism of proteins by progeny of underfed mother rats

Pre-natal amino acid transport inhibition: long term influences on behavior and protein metabolism

DBA/2J mice were exposed in utero, between days 15-18 of gestation, to either of two enzyme inhibitors, previously shown to decrease blood-brain, large-neutral amino acid transport in adults: L-methionine-RS-sulfoximine and 2-imidazolidone-4-carboxylic acid. The young mice demonstrated persistently altered motor behavior relative to saline controls when 40-42 days old and evidence of differences in the entry and incorporation of 14C-valine in brain at up to 80 days of age. The findings suggest that interference with blood-brain amino acid transport in utero has long term consequences. This may be related to some human conditions such as maternal phenylketonuria.

Learning deficits in rats with malnourished grandmothers

Female rats (F0) were maintained on a protein-restricted or a normal diet 1 month prior to mating and throughout pregnancy. Their female offspring (F1) were maintained on a normal protein diet and mated with normal males. In previously reported studies, the 2nd generation offspring (F2) of the malnourished rats have been found at birth to have significantly lower cerebral DNA ( a measure of cell number), cerebral weight, and cerebral protein than normal controls. We now report that these F2 animals show marked learining deficits at maturity on 2 different successive reversal tasks, even though they themselves have never directly experienced malnutrition. Thus, certain behavioral as well as biochemical effects of malnutrition appear to the next generation of animals.

DNA (cell number) in neonatal brain: second generation (F2) alteration by maternal (F0) dietary protein restriction

Female rats were maintained on a protein-restricted diet 1 month prior to mating and throughout pregnancy. Their female offspring were maintained on a normal diet from birth or from weaning and were mated with normal males. The second generation offspring at birth still had significantly lower cerebral weight and total cerebral DNA (cerebral cell number).