Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2025

Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes
Published on: June 28, 2024
Non-coding RNAs: The link between maternal malnutrition and offspring metabolism
Yuan Zeng1, Yifan Wu1, Qian Zhang1
1Key Laboratory of Endocrinology, Ministry of Health, Department of Endocrinology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Peking Union Medical College, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Abstract:
Early life nutrition is associated with the development and metabolism in later life, which is known as the Developmental Origin of Health and Diseases (DOHaD). Epigenetics have been proposed as an important explanation for this link between early life malnutrition and long-term diseases. Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) may play a role in this epigenetic programming. The expression of ncRNAs (such as long non-coding RNA H19, microRNA-122, and circular RNA-SETD2) was significantly altered in specific tissues of offspring exposed to maternal malnutrition. Changes in these downstream targets of ncRNAs lead to abnormal development and metabolism. This review aims to summarize the existing knowledge on ncRNAs linking the maternal nutrition condition and offspring metabolic diseases, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Related Concept Videos
Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
lncRNA - Long Non-coding RNAs
Epigenetic Regulation
X-chromosome...
MicroRNAs
RNA Stability
Animal Mitochondrial Genetics

