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Adverse Intrauterine Environment and Cardiac miRNA Expression.

Published version
Peer-reviewed

Type

Article

Change log

Authors

Botting, Kimberley J 
Brooks, Doug 

Abstract

Placental insufficiency, high altitude pregnancies, maternal obesity/diabetes, maternal undernutrition and stress can result in a poor setting for growth of the developing fetus. These adverse intrauterine environments result in physiological changes to the developing heart that impact how the heart will function in postnatal life. The intrauterine environment plays a key role in the complex interplay between genes and the epigenetic mechanisms that regulate their expression. In this review we describe how an adverse intrauterine environment can influence the expression of miRNAs (a sub-set of non-coding RNAs) and how these changes may impact heart development. Potential consequences of altered miRNA expression in the fetal heart include; Hypoxia inducible factor (HIF) activation, dysregulation of angiogenesis, mitochondrial abnormalities and altered glucose and fatty acid transport/metabolism. It is important to understand how miRNAs are altered in these adverse environments to identify key pathways that can be targeted using miRNA mimics or inhibitors to condition an improved developmental response.

Description

Keywords

epigenetics, fetal development, heart disease, miRNA, Acclimatization, Animals, Environment, Epigenesis, Genetic, Fetal Heart, Humans, MicroRNAs, Stress, Physiological

Journal Title

Int J Mol Sci

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1661-6596
1422-0067

Volume Title

18

Publisher

MDPI AG