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Interactions between prenatal obesogen exposure and Total Western diet lead to a transgenerational thrifty phenotype: functional and epigenomic analysis of effects in fat and liver

Award Number: R01ES031139
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/16/2020
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2026

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Interactions between prenatal obesogen exposure and Total Western diet lead to a transgenerational thrifty phenotype: functional and epigenomic analysis of effects in fat and liver - PROJECT SUMMARY Obesity is a serious public health concern, largely because obesity and related disorders (e.g., cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, hypertension, cancers, etc.) add more than $200 billion annually to US health care costs. The current clinical paradigm for obesity is one of energy intake versus energy expenditure, with clinical management focused on diet and exercise. Diet and exercise are important factors in obesity, particularly the energy dense Western dietary pattern, but they do not fully account for the obesity epidemic. US adults were 2.3 kg/m2 higher in BMI in 2006 than in 1988, even at comparable caloric intake and energy expenditure. Emerging evidence supports an important role for exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs)in obesity. We identified tributyltin (TBT) as an environmental “obesogen” - a chemical that leads to weight gain, in vivo. In utero exposure to environmentally-relevant levels of TBT increased fat depot weight, reprogrammed mesenchymal stem cells to favor the adipogenic fate and caused non alcoholic fatty liver disease in F1-F4 male offspring. We reproduced these transgenerational phenotypes in two independent experiments and found that male F4 descendents of F0 TBT-treated animals became obese when dietary fat was increased. This fat persisted after the animals were returned to normal low fat chow. TBT-treated animals and their descendents were resistant to fasting-induced fat loss, indicating that these animals do not mobilize fat to the same extent as controls during fasting. We found that fat in F4 male descendants of TBT treated dams showed persistent DNA hypomethylation in regions encompassing important metabolic genes such as the Lep gene, increased leptin mRNA expression, elevated plasma leptin levels, and that these hypomethylated regions in fat were less accessible in sperm chromatin of F3/F4 males. We proposed that these animals exhibited a transgenerational thrifty phenotype caused by altered chromatin structure and accessibility. We hypothesize that TBT exposure modifies the epigenome across multiple generations, sensitizing animals to weight gain and that this “thrifty phenotype” is revealed or exacerbated by increased dietary fat. Two specific aims are proposed: 1) How does TBT exposure exacerbate the effects of “Total Western Diet” leading to weight gain?, and 2) How does TBT exposure make animals resistant to fat loss? Answering these key questions will address knowledge gaps in the field that are relevant to human health. The proposed research will reveal which molecular mechanisms may underlie the effects of obesogens and how a Western dietary pattern interacts with obesogen exposure to predispose toward fat gain and promote the transgenerational programming of obesity. This will greatly inform the thinking of clinicians and the public in understanding individual susceptibility to obesity and how best it may be treated and prevented in individuals. The successful completion of this research will illuminate the molecular mechanisms underlying the role of xenobiotic chemicals on obesity, and may provide insights into how the obesity epidemic can be curtailed.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2025 ( Subtotal = $0 )
2025	2024	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IRVINE	160 ALDRICH HALL	IRVINE	CA	92697	ORANGE	USA	Environmental Health	001	4	4/28/2025	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$0
2025	2023	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IRVINE	160 ALDRICH HALL	IRVINE	CA	92697	ORANGE	USA	Environmental Health	002	4	5/19/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
2025	2023	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IRVINE	160 ALDRICH HALL	IRVINE	CA	92697	ORANGE	USA	Environmental Health	000	4	4/28/2025	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $0

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = $12,953 )
2024	2024	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IRVINE	160 ALDRICH HALL	IRVINE	CA	92697	ORANGE	USA	Environmental Health	001	4	9/19/2024	SUPPLEMENT FOR EXPANSION	$12,953
2024	2023	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IRVINE	160 ALDRICH HALL	IRVINE	CA	92697	ORANGE	USA	Environmental Health	000	4	9/18/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = $12,953

Issue Date FY: 2023 ( Subtotal = $463,639 )
2023	2023	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE	160 ALDRICH HALL	IRVINE	CA	92697	ORANGE	USA	Environmental Health	000	4	6/13/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$463,639
														Subtotal = $463,639

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $466,372 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE	141 INNOVATION DR STE 250	IRVINE	CA	92617	ORANGE	USA	Environmental Health	000	3	7/4/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$466,372
														Subtotal = $466,372

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $469,032 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE	141 INNOVATION DR STE 250	IRVINE	CA	92617	ORANGE	USA	Environmental Health	000	2	6/22/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$469,032
														Subtotal = $469,032

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $485,592 )
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE	141 INNOVATION DR STE 250	IRVINE	CA	92617	ORANGE	USA	Environmental Health	000	1	9/16/2020	NEW	$485,592
														Subtotal = $485,592

Grand Total All Awards = $1,897,588

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Interactions between prenatal obesogen exposure and Total Western diet lead to a transgenerational thrifty phenotype: functional and epigenomic analysis of effects in fat and liver

Award Number: R01ES031139

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: SCIENTIFIC/HEALTH RESEARCH (INCLUDES SURVEYS)

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 09/16/2020

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/30/2026

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