Interpretive Summary: Maternal nutrient restriction and over-feeding during gestation alter expression of key factors involved in placental development and vascularization

By: Sarah A Reed, Ryan Ashley, Gail Silver, Caitlyn Splaine, Amanda K Jones, Sambhu M Pillai, Maria L Peterson, Steven A Zinn, Kristen E Govoni

Too little or too much food during gestation can lead to poor growth and health of the resulting offspring. The placenta is an important source of nutrient supply for the fetus and poor maternal diet can impair placenta growth and function. Although placental development and function are well studied, the mechanisms by which maternal diet can affect placental growth and fetal development are not well understood. Based on our previous findings that specific proteins are important regulators of placental growth and function, we used a sheep model of poor maternal nutrition to demonstrate that protein abundance of these factors is altered in the placenta. These findings demonstrate potential mechanism by which maternal diet can affect the placenta and thereby impact fetal growth.

Read the full article on the Journal of Animal Science.