Maternal undernutrition induces differential cardiac gene expression in pulmonary hypertensive steers at high elevation.

Pulmonary hypertension, characterized by elevated pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) and right ventricular hypertrophy, is caused by decreased atmospheric oxygen at high altitude. We hypothesized that maternal undernutrition programs right ventricle gene expression and sensitivity to increasing PAP at high altitude (2,183 m). On day 30 of gestation, forty Angus x Gelbvieh cows received diets to induce either gain (Control) or loss of body weight (Restricted) until day 125 of gestation. On day 126 of gestation, Restricted cows were realimented to achieve the same body weight as Controls by day 250. Parturition occurred naturally. PAP, which ranged from 40 to 114 mmHg, was determined in 15-mo-old steers from Control or Restricted cows before necropsy. At necropsy, hearts were collected from steers, separated into right and left ventricles, atria, and septa and weighed. Ventricular thickness was recorded. Eight Affymetrix bovine microarrays were screened [four high PAP (two Control and two Restricted) and four low PAP (two Control and two Restricted)] with right ventricle mRNA. This analysis revealed that pentraxin-related protein, interferon-related developmental regulator, and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator-1alpha were differentially expressed (P < 0.05) in steer right ventricle from high-PAP cows compared with low-PAP cows. Also, activation peptide and pancreas cationic trypsinogen, alpha-actin, similar to ubiquitin carboxylesterase, were differently expressed (P < 0.05) in steers from Restricted cows compared with those from Control cows. Upregulated genes in high-PAP right ventricle have been associated with pathological cardiac hypertrophy. It is concluded that right ventricle gene expression may be differentially programmed by maternal undernutrition in the fetus during early gestation and may be detrimental to health and longevity of offspring, particularly at high altitude.