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Calcium-Deficient Diets in Pregnancy and Nursing: Epigenetic Change in Three Generations of Offspring

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Handbook of Nutrition, Diet, and Epigenetics

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Abstract

Prenatal malnutrition can affect the phenotype of offspring by changing epigenetic regulation. Calcium (Ca) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance syndrome. We previously reported that feeding a Ca-restricted diet to pregnant rats results in hypomethylation and decreased expression from the 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-1 promoter in the liver of offspring at day 21. These findings show that a maternal Ca deficiency during pregnancy can affect the regulation of non-imprinted genes by altering the epigenetic regulation of gene expression, thereby inducing different metabolic phenotypes. The epigenome is an important target of environmental modification. In addition, we determined the effects of a Ca deficiency during pregnancy and/or lactation on insulin resistance and secretion in at least three generations. Female Wistar rats consumed either a Ca-deficient or control diet ad libitum from three weeks preconception to 21 days postparturition and were mated with control males. Randomly selected first (F1)- and second-generation (F2) females were mated with males of each generation on postnatal day 70. F1 and F2 dams were fed with a control diet ad libitum during pregnancy and lactation. On 180 days, homeostasis model assessment of beta cell function (HOMA-β%) gradually decreased in F1 through F3 and that in F2 and F3 males and females was significantly lower than control. These findings indicated that maternal Ca restriction during pregnancy and/or lactation influences insulin secretion in three generations of offspring.

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Abbreviations

Ca:

Calcium

F1:

First generation

F2:

Second generation

F3:

Third generation

GR:

Glucocorticoid receptor

HOMA-IR:

Homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance

HOMA-β%:

Homeostasis model assessment of beta cell function

11β-HSD1:

11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-1

11β-HSD2:

11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-2

Hsd11b1 :

11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-1 gene

Hsd11b2 :

11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-2 gene

Nr3c1 :

glucocorticoid receptor gene

PEPCK:

phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase

Pck1 :

phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase gene

PPARα:

peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α

Ppara :

rat peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α gene

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Kawachi General Hospital, Higashi-Osaka, Osaka, Japan

    Junji Takaya

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Kansai Medical University, Moriguchi, Osaka, Japan

    Junji Takaya

Authors
  1. Junji Takaya
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Correspondence to Junji Takaya .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, London, UK

    Vinood B. Patel

  2. Diabetes and Nutritional Sciences Research Division, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, UK

    Victor R. Preedy

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Takaya, J. (2019). Calcium-Deficient Diets in Pregnancy and Nursing: Epigenetic Change in Three Generations of Offspring. In: Patel, V., Preedy, V. (eds) Handbook of Nutrition, Diet, and Epigenetics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55530-0_61

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55530-0_61

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-55529-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-55530-0

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