A co-ordinated transcriptional programme in the maternal liver supplies long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids to the conceptus using phospholipids.

The long and very long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) are preferentially transported by the mother to the fetus. Failure to supply LC-PUFAs is strongly linked with stillbirth, fetal growth restriction, and impaired neurodevelopmental outcomes. However, dietary supplementation during pregnancy is unable to simply reverse these outcomes, suggesting imperfectly understood interactions between dietary fatty acid intake and the molecular mechanisms of maternal supply. Here we employ a comprehensive approach combining untargeted and targeted lipidomics with transcriptional profiling of maternal and fetal tissues in mouse pregnancy. Comparison of wild-type mice with genetic models of impaired lipid metabolism allows us to describe maternal hepatic adaptations required to provide LC-PUFAs to the developing fetus. A late pregnancy-specific, selective activation of the Liver X Receptor signalling pathway dramatically increases maternal supply of LC-PUFAs within circulating phospholipids. Crucially, genetic ablation of this pathway in the mother reduces LC-PUFA accumulation by the fetus, specifically of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), a critical nutrient for brain development.

Project(s)

Priority 2: Trait Diversity and Function

Funder

Funder name	Awards
Medical Research Council, United Kingdom	MR/L002345/1 - MR/R022836/1 - MR/J001597/1
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, United Kingdom	BB/M027252/1
Wellcome Trust, United Kingdom	#092993
National Institute for Health Research, United Kingdom
Agence Nationale de la Recherche, France	ANR-18-CE14-0039 - ANR-20-CE14-0011