Page KC, Malik RE, Ripple JA, Anday EK. Maternal and postweaning diet interaction alters hypothalamic gene expression and modulates response to a high-fat diet in male offspring. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 297: R1049 -R1057, 2009. First published August 5, 2009 doi:10.1152/ajpregu.90585.2008.-Epidemiological data and results from animal studies indicate that imbalances in maternal nutrition impact the expression of metabolic disorders in the offspring. We tested the hypothesis that consumption of excess saturated fats during pregnancy and lactation contributes to adult metabolic dysfunction and that these disturbances can be further influenced by the postweaning diet. Adult male offspring from chowfed dams were compared with males from dams fed a diet high in saturated fat (45 kcal/100 kcal) before mating, pregnancy, and lactation. Offspring were weaned to a standard chow diet or high fat diet. Animals were killed at 120 days after a 24-h fast. Body weight, energy intake, fat deposition, serum leptin, and insulin were significantly higher in offspring from control or high-fat dams if fed a high-fat diet from weaning to adulthood. Only fat-fed offspring from fat-fed dams were hyperglycemic. Leptin receptor, proopiomelanocortin, and neuropeptide Y (NPY) were also significantly increased in offspring exposed to excess saturated fat during gestation and into adulthood, whereas NPY 1 receptor was downregulated. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 mRNA level was significantly higher in offspring from high-fat-fed dams compared with controls; however, no change was detected in cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript or suppressor of cytokine signaling 3. An increase in agoutirelated protein expression did not reach significance. A significant reduction in phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase regulatory subunit (p85␣) coupled to an upregulation of protein kinase B was observed in offspring from high-fat-fed dams transitioned to chow food, whereas p85␣ expression was significantly increased in high-fat offspring weaned to the high-fat diet. These data support the hypothesis that early life exposure to excess fat is associated with changes in hypothalamic regulation of body weight and energy homeostasis and that postweaning diet influences development of metabolic dysfunction and obesity. development; hypothalamus; obesity OBESITY HAS BECOME one of the most prevalent and costly health issues to plague the developed world. The nutritional environment during early development has been shown to alter the expression of genes critical to regulation of energy intake and expenditure (20), and poor nutrition during intrauterine and early postnatal life is particularly disruptive. Recent evidence supports this hypothesis and underscores the importance of this critical time in the development of neuroendocrine feedback loops regulating energy homeostasis in the hypothalamus (2, 16). For example, offspring of undernourished mice have reduced birth weights. When these offspring are cross-fostered onto norma...

We tested the hypothesis that excess saturated fat consumption during pregnancy, lactation, and/or postweaning alters the expression of genes mediating hippocampal synaptic efficacy and impairs spatial learning and memory in adulthood. Dams were fed control chow or a diet high in saturated fat before mating, during pregnancy, and into lactation. Offspring were weaned to either standard chow or a diet high in saturated fat. The Morris Water Maze was used to evaluate spatial learning and memory. Open field testing was used to evaluate motor activity. Hippocampal gene expression in adult males was measured using RT-PCR and ELISA. Offspring from high fat-fed dams took longer, swam farther, and faster to try and find the hidden platform during the 5-day learning period. Control offspring consuming standard chow spent the most time in memory quadrant during the probe test. Offspring from high fat-fed dams consuming excess saturated fat spent the least. The levels of mRNA and protein for brain-derived neurotrophic factor and activity-regulated cytoskeletal-associated protein were significantly decreased by maternal diet effects. Nerve growth factor mRNA and protein levels were significantly reduced in response to both maternal and postweaning high-fat diets. Expression levels for the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDA) receptor subunit NR2B as well as synaptophysin were significantly decreased in response to both maternal and postweaning diets. Synaptotagmin was significantly increased in offspring from high fat-fed dams. These data support the hypothesis that exposure to excess saturated fat during hippocampal development is associated with complex patterns of gene expression and deficits in learning and memory.

Glucocorticoids are essential for normal hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity; however, recent studies warn that exposure to excess endogenous or synthetic glucocorticoid during a specific period of prenatal development adversely affects HPA axis stability. We administered dexamethasone (DEX) to pregnant rats during the last week of gestation and investigated subsequent HPA axis regulation in adult male offspring in unrestrained and restraint-stressed conditions. With the use of real-time PCR and RIA, we examined the expression of regulatory genes in the hippocampus, hypothalamus, and pituitary, including corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), arginine vasopressin (AVP), glucocorticoid receptors (GR), mineralcorticoid receptors (MR), and 11-␤-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-1 (11␤-HSD-1), as well as the main HPA axis hormones, adrenal corticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone (CORT). Our results demonstrate that the DEX-exposed group exhibited an overall change in the pattern of gene expression and hormone levels in the unrestrained animals. These changes included an upregulation of CRH in the hypothalamus, a downregulation of MR with a concomitant upregulation of 11␤-HSD-1 in the hippocampus, and an increase in circulating levels of both ACTH and CORT relative to unrestrained control animals. Interestingly, both DEX-exposed and control rats exhibited an increase in pituitary GR mRNA levels following a 1-h recovery from restraint stress; however, the increased expression in DEX-exposed rats was significantly less and was associated with a slower return to baseline CORT compared with controls. In addition, circulating levels of ACTH and CORT as well as hypothalamic CRH and hippocampal 11␤-HSD-1 expression levels were significantly higher in the DEX-exposed group compared with controls following restraint stress. Taken together, these data demonstrate that late-gestation DEX exposure in rats is associated with persistent changes in both the modulation of HPA axis activity and the HPA axis-mediated response to stress. mineralcorticoid receptor:glucocorticoid receptor balance; 11-␤-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-1; circadian rhythm; restraint stress A CONSIDERABLE BODY OF EVIDENCE indicates that the limbic system is a central modulator of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activity (18,41) and that it is exquisitely sensitive to fluctuations in circulating corticosteroids (27,28,56). Corticosteroid receptors, which include both mineralcorticoid receptors (MR) and glucocorticoid receptors (GR), are highly expressed in this system (29,44) and are colocalized in distinct regions, particularly the hippocampus (51, 53). In contrast, nonlimbic sites, such as the prefrontal cortex, hypothalamus, and pituitary, express predominantly GR (10, 43).

This study examines the effects of prenatal exposure to dexamethasone (DEX) on postnatal testosterone production in male rats. Pregnant female rats were treated on gestation days 14-19 with DEX (100 microg/kg body weight per day; n = 9) or vehicle (n = 9). Results show that 35-day-old male offspring from DEX-treated pregnant females (n = 42) had decreased levels of serum testosterone (45.6% lower, P < .05) compared with control offspring (n = 43), although serum luteinizing hormone (LH) levels were not significantly altered. These findings suggest that a direct programming of developing gonadal cells occurs in response to high levels of maternal glucocorticoid. Indeed, testosterone production was significantly reduced in Leydig cells isolated from immature offspring of DEX-treated pregnant females compared with controls (48.3%, P < .001), and LH stimulation of these cells did not compensate for the lowered steroidogenic capacity. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis was also affected, because significant reductions in both serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH; 26.2%, P < .001) and corticosterone (CORT; 32.3%, P < .001) were measured in DEX-exposed immature male offspring. In contrast, adult male offspring from DEX-treated dams had significantly higher levels of serum ACTH (39.2%, P <. 001) and CORT (37.8%, P < .001). These same animals had higher serum testosterone (31.6%, P < or = .05) and a significant reduction in serum LH (30.8%, P < .001). Moreover, Leydig cells isolated from these adult offspring exhibited an increased capacity for testosterone biosynthesis under basal (38.6%, P < .001) and LH-stimulated conditions (33.5%, P < .001). In summary, sustained changes in steroidogenic capacity were observed in male rats exposed to high levels of glucocorticoid during prenatal development. More specifically, DEX exposure in utero perturbed Leydig cell testosterone production in both pubertal and adult rats.

Background The Gaucher Investigative Therapy Evaluation (GAUCHERITE) is a national clinical cohort of 250 patients aged 5–87 years with Gaucher disease - an ultra-rare genetic disorder. To inform clinical decision-making and improve pathophysiological understanding, we characterized the course of Gaucher disease and explored the influence of costly innovative medication and other interventions. Retrospective and prospective clinical, laboratory and radiological information including molecular analysis of the GBA1 gene and comprising > 2500 variables were collected systematically into a relational database with banking of collated biological samples in a central bioresource. Data for deep phenotyping and life-quality evaluation, including skeletal, visceral, haematological and neurological manifestations were recorded for a median of 17.3 years. Results At baseline, 223 of the 250 patients were classified as type 1 Gaucher disease. Intensive neurological phenotyping in a subgroup of 40 originally considered to have only systemic features, revealed neurological involvement in 18: two had Parkinson disease and 16 patients had other neuronopathic features. This revised the number affected by type 3 Gaucher disease to a total to 43. Skeletal manifestations occurred in most patients in the cohort (131 of 201 specifically reported bone pain). Symptomatic osteonecrosis and fragility fractures occurred respectively in 76 and 37 of all 250 patients and the first osseous events occurred significantly earlier in those with neuronopathic disease. Analysis of the longitudinal real-world data permitted stratification of Gaucher disease on the basis of exposure to advanced therapies and splenectomy. Splenectomy was associated with an increased hazard of fragility fractures, osteonecrosis and orthopaedic surgery; after splenectomy, there were marked gender differences in the risk of fragility fractures over time. Combined with associated surgical procedures, the skeletal manifestations represent a heavy burden of illness, especially in patients formerly unable to access disease-modifying therapies. Conclusion Gaucher disease has been explored during a period of transformation by disease-modifying interventions. With the introduction of advanced therapies, repeated longitudinal measures in this real-world cohort allowed the condition to be stratified into clear clinical endotypes. Our study reveals diverse and changing phenotypic manifestations with neurological, systemic and skeletal disease as inter-related sources of disability. Electronic Supplementary Material The online version of this article contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.