Nutritional factors in a mouse model of Rett syndrome

Nag, Nupur; Ward, Bonnie C; Berger-Sweeney, Joanne

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2008.03.007

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 104 publications

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“…Supplementation with choline attenuated behavioral alterations but not motor abnormalities associated with fetal alcohol exposure in rodents [30–32]. In a mouse model ( Mecp2 (1lox) knockout) for Rett syndrome, the second most common cause of mental retardation in girls, choline supplementation in utero reduced some of the anatomical and behavioral deficits in mutant mice [33, 34]. …”

Section: Choline and Fetal Progenitor Cellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The supply of choline is important for fetal progenitor cells

Zeisel

2011

Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology

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Fetal progenitor cells proliferate, migrate, differentiate and undergo apoptosis at specific times during fetal development. Choline is needed by these cells for membrane synthesis and for methylation. There is growing evidence that this nutrient also modulates epigenetic regulation of gene expression in both neuronal and endothelial progenitor cells, thereby modifying brain development. It is likely that these mechanisms explain why, in rodent models, maternal dietary intake of choline influences both angiogenesis and neurogenesis in fetal hippocampus, and results in life-long changes in memory function. This also may explain why women eating diets low in choline have a greater risk of having a baby with a birth defect. Choline is mainly found in foods that contain fat and cholesterol, and intake of such foods has diminished in response dietary advice from nutritionists and physicians. Forty years ago, diets commonly contained choline-rich foods but now women in the USA tend to eat diets low in choline content. Premenopausal women normally may require less choline in their diet than do men and postmenopausal women, because estrogen induces the gene for the enzyme catalyzing endogenous biosynthesis of the choline-containing phospholipid phosphatidylcholine. However, many women have a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) that blocks the induction of endogenous biosynthesis, thereby making them require more dietary choline. When these women eat diets low in choline, the supply of this nutrient to the fetus is likely to be inadequate, and may perturb progenitor cell proliferation, migration, differentiation and apoptosis.

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Section: Choline and Fetal Progenitor Cellsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The supply of choline is important for fetal progenitor cells

Zeisel

2011

Seminars in Cell & Developmental Biology

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“…Although suggestive, potential changes in the concentrations of other vitamins and amino acids in the prenatal vitamins were not taken into account and may be equally as important. Although it is generally accepted that the mother's nutritional status affects the longterm health of the offspring (Dominguez-Salas et al 2011;Nag et al 2009), very few studies examine maternal nutrition in connection with ASDs, and even fewer pinpoint specifi c nutrients. These studies provide early evidence that maternal nutritional status prior to and during pregnancy may infl uence future risk of ASDs in the offspring.…”

Section: Substratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A number of therapies, including supplementation with vitamins and amino acids, can alter epigenetic regulation of gene expression later in life by affecting C 1 metabolism (Davison et al 2009;Nag et al 2009;Troen et al 2008). Given the number of abnormalities in C 1 metabolites in ASDs demonstrated across multiple studies (Adams et al 2011b;Main et al 2010), surprisingly few studies focus on correcting metabolic abnormalities and assessing improvements in autism-associated behaviors.…”

Section: Therapeutic Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gene-Environment Interactions and Epigenetic Pathways in Autism: The Importance of One-Carbon Metabolism

Schaevitz¹,

Berger-Sweeney²

2012

ILAR Journal

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Both genetic and epigenetic factors play important roles in the rate and severity of classic autism and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). This review focuses on DNA methylation as a key epigenetic mechanism in autism. The critical role that onecarbon (C 1 ) metabolism plays in establishing and maintaining DNA methylation patterns makes it a likely candidate pathway to regulate epigenetic processes in ASDs. This review is the fi rst, to our knowledge, to examine how altering C 1 metabolic function through genetic and environmental factors (focusing on diet) may lead to aberrant DNA methylation and increase susceptibility to ASDs. Additionally, the critical time windows for sensitivity to genetic and dietary factors both during the development of cortical networks implicated in ASDs and in regard to potential treatments are discussed. One thing is clear, if C 1 metabolism plays a critical role in ASDs, it provides a potential avenue for treatment and perhaps, ultimately, prevention.

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“…The review by Berger-Sweeney and colleagues (Nag et al, 2008) highlights the importance of nutritional factors in neurodevelopmental disorders focussing on the Rett syndrome, a severe neurodevelopmental disorder affecting primarily girls. Rett patients generally appear healthy until 6–18 months of age, when motor and cognitive skills regress.…”

Section: Role Of Nutritional Factors In Shaping Brain Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We will provide examples of studies performed with the common aim of understanding the role of environmental/nutritional factors in shaping brain development and functioning. While studies performed using rodents (Alleva and Francia, 2008; Andersen and Teicher, 2008; Cirulli et al, 2008) offer a great opportunity to ask questions that can be answered in a short-time scale and allow for the analysis of neurobiological substrates, (Coccurello et al, 2008; Laviola et al, 2008; Marco et al, 2008; Nag et al, 2008; Scattoni et al, 2008) those using non-human primates offer a great opportunity to ask questions that can be answered in a short-time scale and allow for the analysis of neurobiological substrates, those using non-human primates provide the closest match to humans in terms of genetic, behavioral, biological and social similarity (Cirulli et al, 2008). In addition, non-human primates’ relatively long lifespan, extended infancy, and socio-affective behavior parallel many aspects of human development.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%