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Handbook of Nutrition, Diet, and Epigenetics pp 1217–1230Cite as

Gestational Betaine, Liver Metabolism, and Epigenetics

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Abstract

Betaine is a methyl donor and a substrate of methionine metabolism. It can donate methyl groups to most of methylation reactions in vivo. Diet low in betaine may greatly contribute to metabolic syndrome, lipid disorders, and diabetes. Recent research studies in the field of metabolic programming have demonstrated that betaine plays critical roles in fetal development and hepatic glucolipid metabolism via an array of complex mechanisms. Liver is a central metabolic organ, which is essential in the control of hepatic glucose, lipid, and cholesterol contents in order to maintain metabolic homeostasis in the whole body. The status of hepatic glucolipid metabolism at newborn stage will eventually affect adult health in a long term. Maternal nutrition programs neonatal hepatic metabolism through epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation, histone modifications, and miRNA-mediated post-transcriptional regulation. Betaine is of critical value in maternal nutritional programming. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the recent advances in studies on the role of maternal betaine on offspring hepatic lipid and glucose metabolism, especially during early life. We hope that this knowledge may shed lights on identifying novel prophylactic and therapeutic strategies for metabolic disorders involving disrupted glucose and lipid homeostasis in human and animals.

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Abbreviations

ACC:

Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase

AHCY:

S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase

BHMT:

Betaine homocysteine methyltransferase

CYP27α1:

Cholesterol-27alpha-hydroxylase

CYP7α1:

Cholesterol-7alpha-hydroxylase

DNMTs:

DNA (cytosine-5-)-methyltransferases

FAS:

Fatty acid synthase

FBP1:

Fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase

G6PC:

Glucose-6-phosphatase

GNMT:

Glycine N-methyltransferase

HMGCR:

3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase

HMTs:

Histone methyltransferases

HPT:

Hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid

LDLR:

Low-density lipoprotein receptor

MAT:

Methionine adenosyltransferase

PC:

Pyruvate carboxylase

PEPCK:

Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase

SAH:

S-adenosylhomocysteine

SAM:

S-adenosylmethionine

SCD:

Stearoyl-CoA desaturase

SR-BI:

High-density lipoprotein receptor

SREBP1C:

Sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c

SREBP2:

Sterol regulatory element binding protein-2

TG:

Triglyceride

USF:

Upstream stimulating factor

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Animal Physiology and Biochemistry, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Veterinary Medicine, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China

    Demin Cai, Yun Hu & Ruqian Zhao

  2. Department of Medical Cell Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

    Haoyu Liu

  3. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine, University of California at Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA

    Yuqian Jiang

Authors
  1. Demin Cai
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  2. Haoyu Liu
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  3. Yun Hu
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  4. Yuqian Jiang
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  5. Ruqian Zhao
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ruqian Zhao .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Life Sciences, University of Westminster, London, UK

    Vinood B. Patel

  2. Diabetes and Nutritional Sciences Research Division, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London, UK

    Victor R. Preedy

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Cai, D., Liu, H., Hu, Y., Jiang, Y., Zhao, R. (2019). Gestational Betaine, Liver Metabolism, and Epigenetics. In: Patel, V., Preedy, V. (eds) Handbook of Nutrition, Diet, and Epigenetics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55530-0_82

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55530-0_82

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-55529-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-55530-0

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