HEALTH NEWS

Study Title:

Nutrition During Pregnancy Programs Genes

Study Abstract

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) decreases serum insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels. IGF-1 is an epigenetically regulated gene that has two promoters, alternative exon 5 splicing, and multiple termination sites. The regulation of gene expression involves the whole gene, as evidenced by the aforementioned IGF-1 paradigm. We hypothesized that IUGR in the rat would affect hepatic IGF-1 expression and alter the epigenetic characteristics of the IGF-1 gene along its length. IUGR was induced through a bilateral uterine artery ligation of the pregnant rat, a well-characterized model of IUGR. Pups from anesthesia and sham-operated dams were used as controls. Real-time RT-PCR and ELISA was used to measure expression at day of life (DOL) 0 and 21. Bisulfite sequencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) quantified IGF-1 epigenetic characteristics. A nontranscribed intergenic control was used for ChIP studies. IUGR decreased hepatic and serum IGF-1. Concurrently, IUGR modified epigenetic characteristics, particularly the histone code, along the length of the hepatic IGF-1 gene. Many changes persisted postnatally, and the postnatal effect of IUGR on the histone code was gender-specific. We conclude that IUGR modifies epigenetic characteristics of the rat hepatic IGF-1 gene along the length of the whole gene.—Fu, Q., Yu, X., Callaway, C. W., Lane, R. H., McKnight, R. A. Epigenetics: intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) modifies the histone code along the rat hepatic IGF-1 gene.

From press release:

The new science of epigenetics explains how genes can be modified by the environment, and a prime result of epigenetic inquiry has just been published online in The FASEB Journal: You are what your mother did not eat during pregnancy. In the research report, scientists from the University of Utah show that rat fetuses receiving poor nutrition in the womb become genetically primed to be born into an environment lacking proper nutrition.

As a result of this genetic adaptation, the rats were likely to grow to smaller sizes than their normal counterparts. At the same time, they were also at higher risk for a host of health problems throughout their lives, such as diabetes, growth retardation, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and neurodevelopmental delays, among others. Although the study involved rats, the genes and cellular mechanisms involved are the same as those in humans.

"Our study emphasizes that maternal–fetal health influences multiple healthcare issues across generations," said Robert Lane, professor of pediatric neonatology at the University of Utah, and one of the senior researchers involved in the study. "To reduce adult diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease, we need to understand how the maternal–fetal environment influences the health of offspring."

The scientists made this discovery through experiments involving two groups of rats. The first group was normal. The second group had the delivery of nutrients from their mothers' placentas restricted in a way that is equivalent to preeclampsia. The rats were examined right after birth and again at 21 days (21 days is essentially a preadolescent rat) to measure the amount of a protein, called IGF-1, that promotes normal development and growth in rats and humans. They found that the lack of nutrients caused the gene responsible for IGF-1 to significantly reduce the amount of IGF-1 produced in the body before and after birth.

"The new 'epigenetics' has taught us how nature is changed by nurture," said Gerald Weissmann, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of The FASEB Journal. "The jury's in and, yes, expectant moms really are eating for two. This study shows not only that we need to address problems such as preeclampsia during pregnancy, but also that prenatal care is far more important than anyone could have imagined a decade ago."

Study Information

Qi Fu, Xing Yu, Christopher W. Callaway, Robert H. Lane, and Robert A. McKnight
Epigenetics: intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) modifies the histone code along the rat hepatic IGF-1 gene.
FASEB
2009 April
University of Utah.