aAcademic Unit of Human Development and Health, Faculty of Medicine bCentre for Biological Sciences, Faculty of Natural and Environmental Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2014 Mar;17(2):156-61. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000023.
The purpose of this review is to assess the findings of recent studies on the effects of fatty acids on epigenetic process and the role of epigenetics in regulating fatty acid metabolism.
The DNA methylation status of the Fads2 promoter was increased in the liver of the offspring of mice fed an α-linolenic acid-enriched diet during pregnancy. In rats, increasing total maternal fat intake during pregnancy and lactation induced persistent hypermethylation of the Fads2 promoter in the liver and aortae of their offspring. However, increased fish oil intake in adult rats induced transient, reversible hypermethylation of Fads2. High-fat feeding in rodents also altered the levels of histone methylation in placentae and in adipose tissue. Dietary docosahexaenoic acid supplementation in pregnant women induced marginal changes in global DNA methylation in cord blood leukocytes. A high fat diet altered the DNA methylation status of specific genes in skeletal muscle in young men.
There are emerging findings that support the suggestion that fatty acids, in particular polyunsaturated fatty acids, can modify the epigenome. However, there is a need for rigorous investigations that assess directly the effect epigenetic modifications induced by fatty acids on gene function and metabolism.
本综述旨在评估近期关于脂肪酸对表观遗传过程的影响以及表观遗传学在调节脂肪酸代谢中的作用的研究结果。
在怀孕期间喂食富含α-亚麻酸的饮食的小鼠的后代肝脏中，Fads2 启动子的 DNA 甲基化状态增加。在大鼠中，怀孕期间和哺乳期总母体脂肪摄入量的增加导致其后代肝脏和主动脉中 Fads2 启动子的持续高甲基化。然而，成年大鼠中海鱼油摄入量的增加诱导了 Fads2 的短暂、可逆的高甲基化。在啮齿动物中高脂肪喂养也改变了胎盘和脂肪组织中组蛋白甲基化的水平。孕妇中二十二碳六烯酸（DHA）的补充饮食仅在脐带血白细胞中引起了全基因组 DNA 甲基化的微小变化。高脂肪饮食改变了年轻人骨骼肌中特定基因的 DNA 甲基化状态。
有新的发现支持脂肪酸，特别是多不饱和脂肪酸，可以修饰表观基因组的观点。然而，需要进行严格的研究，直接评估脂肪酸诱导的表观遗传修饰对基因功能和代谢的影响。
