Influence of maternal obesity, diet and exercise on epigenetic regulation of adipocytes

Archana Dhasarathy, James N Roemmich, Kate J Claycombe, Archana Dhasarathy, James N Roemmich, Kate J Claycombe

No abstract available

Keywords: Adipocyte epigenetic regulation; Diet; Exercise; Maternal obesity.

Figures

Fig. 1

Maternal obesity, and exposure to environmental factors, can potentiate epigenetic modifications in the fetus. These include hypo (white lollipops) or hyper (filled lollipops) methylation of DNA; histone modifications (red circles = active marks, yellow circles = inactive marks) that can open or close chromatin near gene promoters; and changes in levels of non-coding RNAs such as microRNAs. All these changes can act independently or in concert to affect changes in gene expression, turning networks of genes on or off in a tissue- and cell type-specific manner. These changes can increase offspring adiposity and risk for development of metabolic disease later in life. Conversely, these changes can be modulated by healthy diet, exercise and possibly pharmacological treatments, thereby decreasing adiposity and risk of metabolic disease in offspring.