MATERNAL ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE 1 HETEROZYGOSITY DRIVES OFFSPRING RESISTANCE TO WEIGHT GAIN

Abstract

Alcohol Dehydrogenase 1 (ADH1), which is known to play a major role in alcohol metabolism, also contributes notably to retinol (vitamin A) metabolism and obesity traits. Previous studies have shown that changes in gene expression of ADH1 affect body weight and adiposity. In this study, we performed a series of parental crosses featuring the Adh1+/- genotype, and characterized the wild type (Adh1+/+) offspring by physical traits, biomarkers of lipid metabolism, and differences in gene expression of liver tissue. Overall, we observed that offspring from Adh1+/- dams exhibited decreased adiposity traits in response to a high-fat diet. Additionally, the gene sequence enrichment analysis revealed significant differences in expression of genes associated with pathways of oxidative phosphorylation and fatty acid metabolism. These observations suggest a maternal Adh1 effect associated with resistance to weight- and adiposity-gain in wild type offspring that is likely passed via epigenetic mechanisms.