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Folic acid-deficient diet during gestation and post-weaning alters Pomc gene and protein expression in rat offspring
Bruna Morais Faleiros de Paula1, Paula Lumy Takeuchi1, Helio Vannucchi1
1Ribeirao Preto Medical School. University of Sao Paulo.
Insights
A folic acid-deficient diet in female rats increases proopiomelanocortin (Pomc) gene and protein expression in offspring. This dietary deficiency impacts gene expression without altering body weight or food intake.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Gene Expression Regulation
Background:
- Folic acid is crucial for one-carbon metabolism, supplying methyl groups essential for numerous biological reactions.
- Impaired methyl group delivery can significantly affect gene expression patterns.
- Proopiomelanocortin (Pomc) is a key neuropeptide involved in regulating energy balance and gene expression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of maternal and offspring folic acid deficiency on Pomc gene and protein expression.
- To examine Pomc expression patterns in the hypothalamus of female rat offspring exposed to varying folic acid levels.
- To determine if folic acid deficiency influences food intake or body weight in female offspring.
Main Methods:
- Female rats were fed either a control or folic acid-deficient diet throughout gestation, lactation, and post-weaning.
- Offspring (n=10 per group) were maintained on the same respective diets.
- Pomc gene and protein expression were quantified in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus using real-time PCR and Western blotting.
Main Results:
- Female offspring exposed to a folic acid-deficient diet exhibited significantly higher Pomc gene expression compared to the control group (p=0.03).
- Pomc protein levels were also significantly elevated in the folic acid-deficient group (p=0.01).
- No significant differences in food intake or body weight were observed between the dietary groups.
Conclusions:
- Folic acid deficiency during critical developmental periods (gestation, lactation, post-weaning) leads to increased Pomc gene and protein expression in female rat offspring.
- The observed increase in Pomc expression suggests a potential mechanism linking folate status to neuroendocrine regulation.
- Dietary folic acid levels, within the tested range, did not affect overall body weight or food consumption in the female offspring.
Introduction:
Background: folic acid participates in one-carbon metabolism, which supplies methyl groups to numerous reactions in the body. Impaired delivery of these methyl groups affects gene expression. We hypothesize that offspring exposed to less folic acid will express higher levels of Pomc (proopiomelanocortin) gene mRNA. Aim: to investigate the Pomc gene and protein expression pattern in the female offspring of female rats receiving a folic acid-deficient diet during gestation, lactation, and post-weaning. Methods: the study involved female rat offspring (n = 10) born from mothers subjected to a control (2.0 mg of folic acid/kg of food) or folic acid-deficient (0.5 mg of folic acid/kg of food) diet, and fed the same diet during post-weaning. Samples were collected from the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus of the female offspring for real-time PCR and Western blotting analyses. Results: the female offspring in the folic acid-deficient diet group had significantly higher Pomc gene and protein expression than the female offspring in the control diet group (p = 0.03, p = 0.01, respectively). Conclusion: a folic acid-deficient diet during gestation, lactation, and post-weaning increases Pomc gene and protein expression, but does not modify food intake or body weight of female rat offspring.
