Contrasting effects of different maternal diets on sexually dimorphic gene expression in the murine placenta

Abstract

Diet during pregnancy influences the future health of a woman's offspring, with outcomes differing depending on the child's sex. Because the placenta buffers the fetus from the mother, we examined the impact of diet and fetal sex on placental gene expression in mice fed either a very-high-fat, low-fat, chow diet of intermediate caloric density. At day 12.5 of pregnancy, placental RNA was extracted and analyzed by microarray. The expression of 1,972 genes was changed more than 2-fold (P < 0.05) in comparisons across diet in at least one of the three groups. Female placentae demonstrated more striking alterations in gene expression in response to maternal diet than male placentae. Notably, each diet provided a distinctive signature of sexually dimorphic genes, with expression generally higher in genes (651 out of 700) from female placentae than those from male placentae. Several genes normally considered as characteristic of kidney function were affected by diet, including genes regulating ion balance and chemoreception. The placenta also expressed most of the known olfactory receptor genes (Olfr), which may allow the placenta to sense odorant molecules and other minor dietary components, with transcript levels of many of these genes influenced by diet and fetal sex. In conclusion, gene expression in the murine placenta is adaptive and shaped by maternal diet. It also exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism, with placentae of females more sensitive to nutritional perturbations than placentae of males.ore than 50% of all pregnant American women are considered to be either overweight, with a body mass index (BMI) of 25-29.9 kg/m 2

Molecular Identification of N-Acetylaspartylglutamate Synthase and β-Citrylglutamate Synthase

“…Finally, the presence of RIMKLB in placenta (where NAT8L is absent) suggests that ␤-citrylglutamate may have a role in this organ. Remarkably, the RIMKLB gene has recently been shown to be 3-fold more expressed in the placenta of female mice than of male mice (28). The significance of this observation is at present unknown.…”

The Placenta as a Mediator of Stress Effects on Neurodevelopmental Reprogramming

“…The placenta comprises specialized cells derived from the embryo and thereby expresses the fetal genetic sex (Rossant and Cross, 2001). In uncomplicated pregnancies, sex differences in placental size and gene expression are present throughout gestation (Buckberry et al, 2014;Gabory et al, 2013;Mao et al, 2010;O'Connell et al, 2013;Sood et al, 2006). Such basal placental sex differences likely facilitate sex-specific responses to both normal and pathologic environments.…”

Intrauterine calorie restriction affects placental DNA methylation and gene expression

“…Because of its centrality for mediating maternal nutrition effects, several studies have focused on the response of placental gene expression to differing maternal diets. One such study measured placental gene expression changes between high-and low-fat diet-fed mice and identified sexually dimorphic patterns, as well as genes regulating ion balance and chemoreception (39). Similarly, sexspecific expression patterns are also found in mice with maternal overnutrition, although only a limited number of genes were found to be consistently affected (22).…”