Maternal Obesity Modulates Expression of <i>Satb2</i> in Hypothalamic VMN of Female Offspring
Maternal obesity during pregnancy is associated with a greater risk of poor health outcomes in offspring, including obesity, metabolic disorders, and anxiety, however the incidence of these diseases differs for males and females. Similarly, animal models of maternal obesity have reported sex differe...
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MDPI AG
2020-04-01
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| Series: | Life |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/10/4/48 |
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| author | Kelly A. Glendining Lorryn C. Fisher Christine L. Jasoni |
| author_facet | Kelly A. Glendining Lorryn C. Fisher Christine L. Jasoni |
| author_sort | Kelly A. Glendining |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Maternal obesity during pregnancy is associated with a greater risk of poor health outcomes in offspring, including obesity, metabolic disorders, and anxiety, however the incidence of these diseases differs for males and females. Similarly, animal models of maternal obesity have reported sex differences in offspring, for both metabolic outcomes and anxiety-like behaviors. The ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMN) is a brain region known to be involved in the regulation of both metabolism and anxiety, and is well documented to be sexually dimorphic. As the VMN is largely composed of glutamatergic neurons, which are important for its functions in modulating metabolism and anxiety, we hypothesized that maternal obesity may alter the number of glutamatergic neurons in the offspring VMN. We used a mouse model of a maternal high-fat diet (mHFD), to examine mRNA expression of the glutamatergic neuronal marker <i>Satb2</i> in the mediobasal hypothalamus of control and mHFD offspring at GD17.5. We found sex differences in <i>Satb2</i> expression, with mHFD-induced upregulation of <i>Satb2</i> mRNA in the mediobasal hypothalamus of female offspring, compared to controls, but not males. Using immunohistochemistry, we found an increase in the number of SATB2-positive cells in female mHFD offspring VMN, compared to controls, which was localized to the rostral region of the nucleus. These data provide evidence that maternal nutrition during gestation alters the developing VMN, possibly increasing its glutamatergic drive of offspring in a sex-specific manner, which may contribute to sexual dimorphism in offspring health outcomes later in life. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:15:08Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-1729 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:15:08Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
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| record_format | Article |
| series | Life |
| spelling | doaj.art-231350f67dfe4be9bfdef6e2dc5501052023-11-19T22:34:40ZengMDPI AGLife2075-17292020-04-011044810.3390/life10040048Maternal Obesity Modulates Expression of <i>Satb2</i> in Hypothalamic VMN of Female OffspringKelly A. Glendining0Lorryn C. Fisher1Christine L. Jasoni2Centre for Neuroendocrinology, Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New ZealandCentre for Neuroendocrinology, Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New ZealandCentre for Neuroendocrinology, Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New ZealandMaternal obesity during pregnancy is associated with a greater risk of poor health outcomes in offspring, including obesity, metabolic disorders, and anxiety, however the incidence of these diseases differs for males and females. Similarly, animal models of maternal obesity have reported sex differences in offspring, for both metabolic outcomes and anxiety-like behaviors. The ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (VMN) is a brain region known to be involved in the regulation of both metabolism and anxiety, and is well documented to be sexually dimorphic. As the VMN is largely composed of glutamatergic neurons, which are important for its functions in modulating metabolism and anxiety, we hypothesized that maternal obesity may alter the number of glutamatergic neurons in the offspring VMN. We used a mouse model of a maternal high-fat diet (mHFD), to examine mRNA expression of the glutamatergic neuronal marker <i>Satb2</i> in the mediobasal hypothalamus of control and mHFD offspring at GD17.5. We found sex differences in <i>Satb2</i> expression, with mHFD-induced upregulation of <i>Satb2</i> mRNA in the mediobasal hypothalamus of female offspring, compared to controls, but not males. Using immunohistochemistry, we found an increase in the number of SATB2-positive cells in female mHFD offspring VMN, compared to controls, which was localized to the rostral region of the nucleus. These data provide evidence that maternal nutrition during gestation alters the developing VMN, possibly increasing its glutamatergic drive of offspring in a sex-specific manner, which may contribute to sexual dimorphism in offspring health outcomes later in life.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/10/4/48maternal nutritionneurodevelopmentdevelopmental programmingventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamusglutamatergic |
| spellingShingle | Kelly A. Glendining Lorryn C. Fisher Christine L. Jasoni Maternal Obesity Modulates Expression of <i>Satb2</i> in Hypothalamic VMN of Female Offspring Life maternal nutrition neurodevelopment developmental programming ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus glutamatergic |
| title | Maternal Obesity Modulates Expression of <i>Satb2</i> in Hypothalamic VMN of Female Offspring |
| title_full | Maternal Obesity Modulates Expression of <i>Satb2</i> in Hypothalamic VMN of Female Offspring |
| title_fullStr | Maternal Obesity Modulates Expression of <i>Satb2</i> in Hypothalamic VMN of Female Offspring |
| title_full_unstemmed | Maternal Obesity Modulates Expression of <i>Satb2</i> in Hypothalamic VMN of Female Offspring |
| title_short | Maternal Obesity Modulates Expression of <i>Satb2</i> in Hypothalamic VMN of Female Offspring |
| title_sort | maternal obesity modulates expression of i satb2 i in hypothalamic vmn of female offspring |
| topic | maternal nutrition neurodevelopment developmental programming ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus glutamatergic |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/10/4/48 |
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