Elucidating molecular basis of adult disease development by examining fetal tissues

2013 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 23591603
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Embryonic/Neonatal medicine
• Research Institution: University of Tsukuba
• Principal Investigator: RAKWAL Randeep 筑波大学, 教育イニシアティブ機構, 教授 (70590850)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SHIODA Seiji 昭和大学, 医学部, 教授 (80102375)
• Project Period (FY): 2011 – 2013
• Keywords: Dohad / マイクロアレイ / プロテオーム / 脳 / 低栄養

Research Abstract

Our results based on global gene expression analysis using DNA microarray revealed differential gene changes after maternal undernutrition, suggesting undernutrition influences mRNA expression of numerous genes including those that might be involved with neurodevelopmental disorders like autism or diabetes. Utilizing another complementary high-throughput omics approach, namely proteomics (2D-DIGE), we identified 15 differentially expressed proteins whose expression levels changed by undernutrition. Among 13 majorly down-regulated proteins, 5 proteins whose abundance decreased were identified as RNA interacting proteins, reported to be involved in enhancing stability of mRNA and accuracy of splicing.
We believe that maternal undernutrition influenced mRNA stability and accuracy of splicing by a change in gene expressions along with decreased expression of RNA interacting protein in fetal brain, and which might result in psychiatric disorders and lifestyle-related diseases.