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Sex-Specific Neurodevelopmental Programming by Placental Insulin Receptors on Stress Reactivity and Sensorimotor Gating.

Citation
Bronson, S. L., et al. “Sex-Specific Neurodevelopmental Programming By Placental Insulin Receptors On Stress Reactivity And Sensorimotor Gating.”. Biological Psychiatry, pp. 127-138.
Center University of Pennsylvania
Author Stefanie L Bronson, Jennifer C Chan, Tracy L Bale
Keywords epigenetic, insulin, Prefrontal cortex, Prenatal, serotonin, Sex
Abstract

BACKGROUND: Diabetes, obesity, and overweight are prevalent pregnancy complications that predispose offspring to neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and schizophrenia. Although male individuals are three to four times more likely than female individuals to develop these disorders, the mechanisms driving the sex specificity of disease vulnerability remain unclear. Because defective placental insulin receptor (InsR) signaling is a hallmark of pregnancy metabolic dysfunction, we hypothesized that it may be an important contributor and novel mechanistic link to sex-specific neurodevelopmental changes underlying disease risk.

METHODS: We used Cre/loxP transgenic mice to conditionally target InsRs in fetally derived placental trophoblasts. Adult offspring were evaluated for effects of placental trophoblast-specific InsR deficiency on stress sensitivity, cognitive function, sensorimotor gating, and prefrontal cortical transcriptional reprogramming. To evaluate molecular mechanisms driving sex-specific outcomes, we assessed genome-wide expression profiles in the placenta and fetal brain.

RESULTS: Male, but not female, mice with placental trophoblast-specific InsR deficiency showed a significantly increased hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis stress response and impaired sensorimotor gating, phenotypic effects that were associated with dysregulated nucleotide metabolic processes in the male prefrontal cortex. Within the placenta, InsR deficiency elicited changes in gene expression, predominantly in male mice, reflecting potential shifts in vasculature, amino acid transport, serotonin homeostasis, and mitochondrial function. These placental disruptions were associated with altered gene expression profiles in the male fetal brain and suggested delayed cortical development.

CONCLUSIONS: Together, these data demonstrate the novel role of placental InsRs in sex-specific neurodevelopment and reveal a potential mechanism for neurodevelopmental disorder risk in pregnancies complicated by maternal metabolic disorders, including diabetes and obesity.

Year of Publication
2017
Journal
Biological psychiatry
Volume
82
Issue
2
Number of Pages
127-138
Date Published
12/2017
ISSN Number
1873-2402
DOI
10.1016/j.biopsych.2016.12.025
Alternate Journal
Biol. Psychiatry
PMID
28168960
PMCID
PMC5483189
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