The effects of high maternal folate status on the offspring are unknown; however, early life exposure to environmental stimuli, including dietary factors, is thought to influence the risk of developing chronic disease. An animal study was performed to determine the effect of maternal folic acid supplementation during pregnancy and lactation on DNA methylation and global gene expression patterns in the offspring. Supplementation of the maternal diet with folic acid (5, 8, and 25 mg/kg diet) induced global DNA hypomethylation in the liver of juvenile and adult offspring, and altered the expression of the imprinted H19 gene and genes involved in lipid metabolism, coagulation, and iron transport and homeostasis. Our data suggest that intrauterine and early postnatal periods are susceptible to changes in DNA methylation and gene expression in response to high levels of folic acid, which may be associated with health status and disease later in life.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:TORONTO/oai:tspace.library.utoronto.ca:1807/32918 |
| Date | 04 September 2012 |
| Creators | Crowell, Julie Anne |
| Contributors | Kim, Young-In |
| Source Sets | University of Toronto |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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