2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Morphological and telomere analysis of pathogenesis and prevention of lifestyle-related diseases due to fetal nutritional environment epigenomic changes

Research Project

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Project/Area Number	19K11733
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Multi-year Fund
Section	一般
Review Section	Basic Section 59040:Nutrition science and health science-related
Research Institution	Kurume University
Principal Investigator	Fujita Mamoru 久留米大学, 医学部, 客員教授 (60037471)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	中村桂一郎久留米大学, 医学部, 教授 (20172398) 近江雅代西南女学院大学, 保健福祉学部, 教授 (20301682) 森本景之産業医科大学, 医学部, 教授 (30335806) 熊井まどか長崎国際大学, 公私立大学の部局等, 教授 (50360300) 熊谷奈々中村学園大学, 栄養科学部, 講師 (70552983) 馬場良子産業医科大学, 医学部, 准教授 (90271436)
Project Period (FY)	2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
Keywords	胎児期低栄養環境 / 環境エピゲノム変化 / 小腸 / 空腸 / 回腸 / 吸収上皮細胞 / 消化吸収機構 / テロメア
Outline of Final Research Achievements	Morphological, epigenetic and telomere analyzes were performed on the postnatal small intestine and kidney exposed to the fetal low nutritional environment. Short villi and shallow crypts were observed in the neonatal and suckling ileum of the experimental group. Atrophy of the renal corpuscle was observed in the kidney of the experimental group. We understood that epigenome changes were less likely to occur in the experimental group during the suckling period than in the normal group. It was found that the quantity of telomeres in the experimental group was already lower than that in the normal group after birth. Based on these result, nutritional guidance during the fetal, neonatal, suckling and weaning periods is important for the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases.
Free Research Field	解剖学　組織学　超微形態学
Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements	胎児(仔)期異常栄養環境(特に、低栄養環境)に暴露された胎児(仔)は出生後の小腸（回腸）及び腎臓（腎小体・尿細管）に影響を及ぼすことがわかった。出生後の回腸では短い絨毛と浅い陰窩、腎臓では萎縮した腎小体が認められた。胎児期に栄養環境エピゲノム変化がおこり出生後の乳飲期回腸と腎臓に影響を及ぼし、H3K27me3は回腸の絨毛と陰窩の発達に関与している可能性がある。出生直後から、すでにテロメアDNAの量が正常群より減少していた。これらの研究成果は学術的にも意義があり、これらを踏まえて、妊婦（胎児）、新生児から栄養指導を行い、生活習慣病発症の早期予防に役立てることで、社会的に意義がある。