MATERNAL CAFETERIA DIET MODIFIES THE EXPRESSION OF DOPAMINERGIC RELATED-GENES IN THE RAT OFFSPRING BY EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS.

R. SCHUMACHER; M.F. ANDREOLI; M.F. ROSSETTI; G LAZZARINO; C. STOKER; J.G. RAMOS; J. VARAYOUD

Buenos Aires

Congreso; Reunion Conjunta de Sociedades de Biociencias; 2017

SAIC, SAIB, SAI, SAFE, SAH, SAP, SAB, SAFIS, SAA, SAB.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of maternal cafeteria diet (CAF) on the expression of key genes related to the brain reward system in the offspring during the perinatal period. Female Wistar rats were fed with standard chow (CON) and/or CAF (snacks, biscuits, cookies, pudding, chocolate) from weaning. After 120 days of diet, females were randomly placed with Wistar males and vaginal smears were performed to confirm successful mating. Dams were maintained on their respective diets throughout pregnancy and lactation. Female offspring from CON and CAF dams were sacrificed on embryonic day 21 (E21) and postnatal day 10 (PND10). Offspring brains were removed and, using a micropunch technique, ventral tegmental area (VTA) and accumbens nucleus (NAc) were removed and stored at −80 °C. For mRNA analysis, real-time quantitative PCR was performed. For methylation studies, digestion with methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes followed by real-time PCR was used. Data was analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post-test; differences were significant at p