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Maternal high-protein diet during pregnancy, but not during suckling, induced altered expression of an increasing number of hepatic genes in adult mouse offspring

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Abstract

Purpose

Indirect effects of a high-protein maternal diet are not well understood. In this study, we analyzed short-term and sustainable effects of a prenatal versus early postnatal maternal high-protein diet on growth and hepatic gene expression in mouse offspring.

Methods

Dams were exposed to an isoenergetic high-protein (HP, 40 % w/w) diet during pregnancy or lactation. Growth and hepatic expression profiles of male offspring were evaluated directly after weaning and 150 days after birth. Offspring from two dietary groups, high-protein diet during pregnancy and control diet during lactation (HPC), and control diet during pregnancy and high-protein diet during lactation (CHP), were compared with offspring (CC) from control-fed dams.

Results

Maternal CHP treatment was associated with sustained offspring growth retardation, but decreased numbers of affected hepatic genes in adults compared to weanlings. In contrast, offspring of the HPC group did not show persistent effects on growth parameters, but the number of affected hepatic genes was even increased at adult age. In both dietary groups, however, only a small subset of genes was affected in weanlings as well as in adults.

Conclusions

We conclude that (1) prenatal and early postnatal maternal HP diet caused persistent, but (2) different effects and partially complementary trends on growth characteristics and on the hepatic transcriptome and associated pathways and that (3) only a small number of genes and associated upstream regulators might be involved in passing early diet-induced imprints to adulthood.

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Abbreviations

BM:

Body mass

CC:

Control diet during pregnancy and lactation

CHP:

Control diet during pregnancy and high-protein diet during lactation

HP:

High-protein

HPC:

High-protein diet during pregnancy and control diet during lactation

IUGR:

Intrauterine growth retardation

LP:

Low-protein

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Acknowledgments

We express our gratitude to S. Dwars, U. Lüdtke, K. Pilz, C. Fiedler, M. Anders, and V. Schreiter (all Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology) for excellent technical assistance with sampling and analysis. Quentin L. Sciascia (Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology) is acknowledged for English language linguistic assistance. This study was supported by the Commission of the European Community, within the FP 6 priority 5.4.3.1, Food quality and safety (EARNEST, Food-CT-2005-007036; Metges CC). It does not necessarily reflect the views of the commission and in no way anticipates its future policy in this area.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Reproductive Biology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), 18196, Dummerstorf, Germany

    Jens Vanselow

  2. Institute of Nutritional Physiology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), 18196, Dummerstorf, Germany

    Marzena Kucia & Cornelia C. Metges

  3. Institute of Genetics and Biometry, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology (FBN), 18196, Dummerstorf, Germany

    Martina Langhammer

  4. Institute for Immunology, University of Rostock, 18055, Rostock, Germany

    Dirk Koczan

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  1. Jens Vanselow
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  2. Marzena Kucia
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  3. Martina Langhammer
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  4. Dirk Koczan
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  5. Cornelia C. Metges
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Correspondence to Jens Vanselow or Cornelia C. Metges.

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Vanselow, J., Kucia, M., Langhammer, M. et al. Maternal high-protein diet during pregnancy, but not during suckling, induced altered expression of an increasing number of hepatic genes in adult mouse offspring. Eur J Nutr 55, 917–930 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-0906-1

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