孕期甲基供体营养素与子代DNA甲基化关系的研究进展

Research advances in the association between maternal intake of methyl donor nutrients during pregnancy and DNA methylation in offspring

摘要:

孕期的营养对子代的健康起着非常重要的作用。叶酸、维生素B₁₂、胆碱、甜菜碱和蛋氨酸等营养素作为甲基基团供体直接影响DNA的甲基化，与子代健康关系密切。作为表观遗传学的重要组成部分之一，DNA甲基化在维持正常细胞功能、调节基因表达以及胚胎发育过程中起着重要作用。近年来的研究表明孕期营养可通过改变基因组DNA和/或特定基因启动子区域甲基化水平，进而对子代健康造成深远的影响。因此，该文就孕期甲基供体营养素对DNA甲基化的影响，从分子水平探讨其对子代健康的作用。

Abstract:

Maternal nutrition during pregnancy plays a vital role in the health of the offspring. Methyl donor nutrients, including folate, vitamin B₁₂, choline, betaine, and methionine, directly affect DNA methylation and are closely associated with the health of the offspring. As an important part of epigenetics, DNA methylation plays an important role in the maintenance of normal cellular function, gene expression regulation, and embryonic development. Recent studies have shown that maternal nutrition may have a long-lasting effect on the health of the offspring via the changes in genomic DNA and/or methylation level in the promoter region in specific genes. Therefore, this review article focuses on the effect of maternal intake of methyl donor nutrients during pregnancy on DNA methylation, in order to explore the effect of the changed methylation status on the health of the offspring at the molecular level.