Transcriptome in rat kidneys exposed to a fetal low-protein diet on postnatal days 5, 10, and 28

Early in fetal development, maternal nutritional environments are expected to induce changes in epigenetic regulation in offspring.In the present study, we integrated methylome and transcriptome data to identify potential salt-sensitive hypertension genes using the kidneys of pups exposed to a low-protein diet throughout their fetal life. We aimed to uncover how specific candidate marker genes are modified over time and under different nutritional interventions at an early age. Using the kidneys of pups exposed to a low-protein diet (LP) compared to those exposed to a control diet (CN) during fetal life, we searched for candidate genes by integrating data from both methylome and transcriptome profiling.Transcriptome analyses were used to identify genes with differential expression. Offspring exposed to a low-protein diet during fetal life were selected at postnatal days 5, 10, and 28 for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays.