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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 4, 2026

Manipulation of Rhythmic Food Intake in Mice Using a Custom-Made Feeding System

Manipulation of Rhythmic Food Intake in Mice Using a Custom-Made Feeding System

Published on: December 16, 2022

Maternal feeding controls fetal biological clock.

Hidenobu Ohta¹, Shanhai Xu, Takahiro Moriya

¹Center for Perinatal Medicine, Tohoku University Hospital, Sendai, Japan. hideohta@mail.tains.tohoku.ac.jp

|July 4, 2008

Summary

Maternal feeding schedules, not light, significantly influence fetal biological clocks. Restricted maternal food intake advanced fetal rhythms in the brain and liver, highlighting the importance of nutrition for fetal development.

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Area of Science:

Chronobiology
Developmental Biology
Molecular Biology

Background:

Fetal circadian rhythms are influenced by maternal oscillators synchronized with the environmental light-dark cycle.
The precise mechanisms linking maternal and fetal biological clocks require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the impact of maternal food availability cycles on fetal circadian rhythms.
To elucidate the role of maternal feeding in entraining fetal molecular clocks.

Main Methods:

Utilized a transgenic rat model expressing luciferase in tissues for in vitro monitoring.
Investigated Per1 gene expression rhythms in the fetal suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and liver.
Manipulated maternal food availability to restricted feeding schedules.

Main Results:

Maternal restricted feeding phase-advanced fetal SCN rhythms by 5 hours.
Maternal restricted feeding phase-advanced fetal liver rhythms by 7 hours.
Maternal SCN remained synchronized with the light-dark cycle.

Conclusions:

Maternal feeding entrains fetal SCN and liver independently of the maternal SCN and light-dark cycle.
Maternal feeding signals are more influential than maternal SCN-controlled hormonal signals for fetal clocks.
A regular maternal feeding schedule is crucial for proper fetal molecular clockwork during pregnancy.