DNA Methylation profile in hypothalamus for mouse offspring with maternal high fat (HF), low protein (LP) and control (CO) diets

To investigate the materal dietary effects (HF, LP) on affecting DNA methylations in the mouse offspring hypothalamus. Overall design: C57BL/6 mice of breeding age (5-8 week of age) were put on either a normal Chow diet (CO), a low protein diet (LP) , or a high fat diet (HF) for 5-6 weeks from the time breeding began to gestation. Upon birth of new litters, all breeders (multiple breeders for each diet) were switched to the normal Chow diet before weaning. Offspring remained with their birth mothers except that female pups were removed from breeder cages 4-7 days after birth. At weaning, all male pups from breeders on the same diet were pooled and randomized into large cages in groups of n=3 and received either a Chow diet or a DIO diet for 12 weeks. All diets with the exception of the HF are isocaloric and closely balanced to ensure that potential differences result simply from the differences in protein and fat content. For each pup diet group, 6-9 males were studied. At the end of the diet period, liver, mesenteric adipose, and hypothalamus were collected and flash froze in liquid nitrogen. The diet experiments and tissue collection were completed at Taconic Farms, Inc.