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Published on: March 13, 2014
Liver Proteome Profile of Growth Restricted and Appropriately Grown Newborn Wistar Rats Associated With Maternal
Polyxeni-Maria Sarli1, Antigoni Manousopoulou2, Elias Efthymiou1
1Second Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
Insights
Maternal food restriction alters liver protein expression in newborn pups, impacting metabolic pathways. This prenatal adversity influences postnatal disease risk, highlighting the importance of birth weight.
Area of Science:
- Proteomics and Epigenetics
- Developmental Biology
- Metabolic Disease Research
Background:
- Fetal growth restriction (FGR) is linked to adverse perinatal outcomes and lasting epigenetic changes.
- These modifications can alter fetal metabolic pathways, increasing disease risk later in life.
- Investigating maternal nutrition's impact on offspring liver protein expression is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the effects of maternal food restriction on liver protein expression in male Wistar rat pups.
- To identify specific protein expression changes in growth-restricted (FGR) and non-growth-restricted offspring.
- To understand the link between prenatal nutrition, birth weight, and postnatal health.
Main Methods:
- Timed pregnant Wistar rats were divided into control and 50% food-restricted groups.
- Offspring were categorized as FGR or non-FGR based on birth weight.
- Quantitative proteomics was used to analyze liver tissue protein expression in male pups.
Main Results:
- 6,665 proteins were profiled; 451 and 751 were differentially expressed in FGR and non-FGR groups, respectively.
- FGR pups showed induced cholesterol biosynthesis and inhibited thyroid hormone metabolism, fatty acid oxidation, and apelin signaling.
- Non-FGR pups exhibited inhibited thyroid hormone metabolism, fatty acid oxidation, and apelin signaling.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal food restriction significantly impacts the liver proteomic profile of FGR and non-FGR offspring.
- Both prenatal adversity and birth weight are critical factors in liver-dependent postnatal disease development.
- This study underscores the long-term consequences of nutritional challenges during gestation.
Background:
Fetal growth restriction (FGR) has been associated with adverse perinatal outcomes and epigenetic modifications that impact gene expression leading to permanent changes of fetal metabolic pathways and thereby influence development of disease in childhood and adult life. In this study, we investigated the result of maternal food restriction on liver protein expression in Wistar male newborn pups.
Materials & Methods:
Ten (n = 10) timed pregnant Wistar rats on their 14th day of gestation were randomly assigned to either control (n = 4) or food restricted group (n = 6). The control group had ad libitum access to food. In the food restricted group, maternal diet was limited in a moderate fashion (50%) from day 15 of pregnancy until delivery. All rats delivered spontaneously on day 21 and newborn pups were immediately weighed. Pups born to normally nourished mothers were considered as controls, while pups born to food restricted mothers were subdivided into two groups, based on their birth weight: growth restricted (FGR) and appropriately grown (non-FGR). Rats were euthanized immediately after birth and liver tissues of 11 randomly selected male offspring (FGR n = 4, non-FGR n = 4, control n = 3) were collected and analyzed using quantitative proteomics.
Results:
In total 6,665 proteins were profiled. Of these, 451 and 751 were differentially expressed in FGR and non-FGR vs. control, respectively, whereas 229 proteins were commonly expressed. Bioinformatics analysis of the differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in FGR vs. control revealed induction of the super-pathway of cholesterol biosynthesis and inhibition of thyroid hormone metabolism, fatty acid beta oxidation and apelin liver signaling pathway. Analysis of DEPs in non-FGR vs. control groups showed inhibition of thyroid hormone metabolism, fatty acid beta oxidation, and apelin liver signaling pathway.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates the impact of prenatal food restriction on the proteomic liver profile of FGR and non-FGR offspring underlying the importance of both prenatal adversities and birth weight on liver-dependent postnatal disease.
