Maternal Nutrition and Epigenetic Perturbation: Modeling Trends to Translation

Abstract

Maternal nutrition plays an essential role in offspring health and development. Critical stages include: (1) preconception, affecting oocyte development and uterine environment preparation; (2) gestation, affecting uterine environment and placental nutrient transfer and (3) postnatal, through lactation. It remains debatable which stage is most important, but arguably, the most complex cellular events occur during gestation. During this time, embryo development requires a well orchestrated and tightly regulated cascade of genetic, molecular and biochemical events. Among these are epigenetic events necessary for gene expression regulation. These produce heritable yet often reversible states established based on transcriptional needs of the cell. A growing body of research highlights the role of maternal nutrition in determining epigenetic states important for pre- and postnatal development. Here, we discuss recent findings addressing epigenetic response to nutrition with relevance to developmental origins of phenotypic outcome.