Early life stress (ELS) is associated with metabolic, cognitive, and psychiatric diseases and has a very high prevalence, highlighting the urgent need for a better understanding of the versatile physiological changes and identification of predictive biomarkers. In addition to programming the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, ELS may also affect the gut microbiota and metabolome, opening up a promising research direction for identifying early biomarkers of ELS-induced (mal)adaptation. Other factors affecting these parameters include maternal metabolic status and diet, with maternal obesity shown to predispose offspring to later metabolic disease. The aim of the present study was to investigate the long-term effects of ELS and maternal obesity on the metabolic and stress phenotype of rodent offspring. To this end, offspring of both sexes were subjected to an adverse early-life experience, and their metabolic and stress phenotypes were examined. In addition, we assessed whether a prenatal maternal and an adult high-fat diet (HFD) stressor further shape observed ELS-induced phenotypes. We show that ELS has long-term effects on male body weight (BW) across the lifespan, whereas females more successfully counteract ELS-induced weight loss, possibly by adapting their microbiota, thereby stabilizing a balanced metabolome. Furthermore, the metabolic effects of a maternal HFD on BW are exclusively triggered by a dietary challenge in adult offspring and are more pronounced in males than in females. Overall, our study suggests that the female microbiota protects against an ELS challenge, rendering them more resilient to additional maternal-and adult nutritional stressors than males.
Muscle function is an important denominator of energy balance and metabolic health. Adapting the proteome to energetic challenges, in response to diet or fasting, is facilitated by programs of proteostasis, but the adaptive role of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) in muscle remains unclear. Here, using a multi-omics approach, we uncover that the distinct metabolic condition of obesity is associated with recalibration of the UPS in muscle. Interestingly, obesity is associated with the activation of the transcription factor Nuclear factor, erythroid derived 2,-like 1 (Nfe2l1, also known as Nrf1), and loss of myocyte Nfe2l1 diminishes proteasomal activity and leads to hyperubiquitylation. Mice lacking Nfe2l1 display hormetic energy metabolism and resistance to diet-induced obesity, associated with a lean phenotype and muscle fiber type switching. In conclusion, we define a new adaptive role for UPS in remolding of muscle proteome and function, which is controlled by fine-tuning of proteasome function by Nfe2l1.
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