Xiaoyu Pan1, Desheng Gong2, Fei Gao2, Per Torp Sangild1. 1. Comparative Pediatrics and Nutrition, Department of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg DK 1870 C, Denmark. 2. Genome Analysis Laboratory of the Ministry of Agriculture, Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenzhen 518120, PR China.
Abstract
AIM: To examine how enteral feeding affects the intestinal epigenome and gene expression just after preterm birth. MATERIALS & METHODS: Intestinal tissue from preterm pigs, modeling preterm infants, was collected at birth and 5 days after gradual introduction of infant formula or bovine colostrum. The intestinal tissue was analyzed by reduced representation bisulfite sequencing and real-time qPCR. RESULTS: Relative to colostrum, formula increased bacterial epithelial adherence and lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) expression, which was regulated by promoter methylation. Diet-dependent changes in DNA methylation and/or mRNA expression were related to innate immune response, hypoxia, angiogenesis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathways (e.g., TTC38, IL8, C3, HIF1A and VEGFR1). CONCLUSION: Epigenetic changes may mediate important effects of the first feeding on intestinal development in preterm neonates.
AIM: To examine how enteral feeding affects the intestinal epigenome and gene expression just after preterm birth. MATERIALS & METHODS: Intestinal tissue from preterm pigs, modeling preterm infants, was collected at birth and 5 days after gradual introduction of infant formula or bovine colostrum. The intestinal tissue was analyzed by reduced representation bisulfite sequencing and real-time qPCR. RESULTS: Relative to colostrum, formula increased bacterial epithelial adherence and lipopolysaccharide binding protein (LBP) expression, which was regulated by promoter methylation. Diet-dependent changes in DNA methylation and/or mRNA expression were related to innate immune response, hypoxia, angiogenesis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition pathways (e.g., TTC38, IL8, C3, HIF1A and VEGFR1). CONCLUSION: Epigenetic changes may mediate important effects of the first feeding on intestinal development in preterm neonates.