Prenatal and Postnatal Maternal Effects on Body Weight in Cross-fostering Experiment on Two Subspecies of Mice.

Abstract

A cross-fostering experiment was conducted on two quite distinct subspecies of mice, domesticated laboratory mouse of CF#1 (Mus musculus domesticus) and Yonakuni wild mouse (Yk, Mus musculus molossinus yonakuni), to estimate the prenatal and postnatal maternal effects on body weight of offspring. Mating was done between subspecies, two or three females being mated to a male at nine-ten weeks of age. Two dams of different subspecies that littered at the same day were used as a group of foster dams. Litters were standardized to six young mice in order that a dam nursed three mice of her own litter and three mice from that of another subspecies dam. The litters were weaned at 3 weeks of age. The body weight of individual mice was determined at 1, 3, 6 and 10 weeks of age. The result demonstrated that prenatal maternal effects were more important than postnatal maternal effects in contributing to the variation in body weight at all ages examined. Prenatal maternal effects accounted for 61-96% and 35-92% of total variance in males and females, respectively; whereas postnatal effects accounted for 1-7% for males and 3-23% for females. Analysis for between postnatal within prenatal, and between prenatal within postnatal indicated that expression of the body weight of offspring was limited by the genetic type of their prenatal dam and influenced by the postnatal environment of nursing dam. The greatest body weight was attained by offspring born to prenatal CF#1 dams and nursed by postnatal CF#1 dams, followed by CF#1 offspring born to CF#1 dams and nursed by Yk dams, Yk offspring born to Yk dams and nursed by CF#1 dams and the lightest ones were Yk offspring born to Yk dams and nursed by Yk dams.

Reduced Milk Triglycerides in Mice Lacking Phosphoenolpyruvate Carboxykinase in Mammary Gland Adipocytes and White Adipose Tissue Contribute to the Development of Insulin Resistance in Pups ,

“…A number of factors in the gestational environment have important effects on offspring development. Cross-fostering studies in mice suggest that the prenatal environment accounts for 61-96% of variance in body weight gain in male pups and 35-92% in female pups (42). Maternal undernutrition, high-fat diet feeding, and maternal stress during gestation can predispose offspring to obesity (42).…”

The Influence of Cross-Fostering on Alcohol Consumption and Depressive-Like Behaviors in HA and LA Mice: The Role of the Endogenous Opioid System

“…In another study, maternal care was linked with changes in body weight and height of the pups divergently selected for these traits. Although the genotype influence prevailed [ 23 , 24 ], it was confirmed later on two distinct murine populations without any preselection considering weight or height criteria [ 25 ].…”

In reply—Epigenetics and Childhood Obesity

“…The scientific literature on maternal effects and metabolic functioning in both humans and other animals (eg, sheep, rodents) is unequivocal. [7][8][9][10][11][12] Ovum transfer, animal breeding, and crossfostering studies have clearly documented that the intrauterine milieu and early postnatal periods can induce or ameliorate metabolic dysfunction in a single generation, independent of genotype. Recently, an embryo transfer study by Garg et al 13 found that the inheritance of pathologic metabolic phenotypes can be ameliorated when the embryo is transferred and gestated in a "normal metabolic environment."…”