Intergenerational inheritance of high fat diet-induced cardiac lipotoxicity in Drosophila

Nat Commun. 2019 Jan 14;10(1):193. doi: 10.1038/s41467-018-08128-3.

Abstract

Obesity is strongly correlated with lipotoxic cardiomyopathy, heart failure and thus mortality. The incidence of obesity has reached alarming proportions worldwide, and increasing evidence suggests that the parents' nutritional status may predispose their offspring to lipotoxic cardiomyopathy. However, to date, mechanisms underlying intergenerational heart disease risks have yet to be elucidated. Here we report that cardiac dysfunction induced by high-fat-diet (HFD) persists for two subsequent generations in Drosophila and is associated with reduced expression of two key metabolic regulators, adipose triglyceride lipase (ATGL/bmm) and transcriptional cofactor PGC-1. We provide evidence that targeted expression of ATGL/bmm in the offspring of HFD-fed parents protects them, and the subsequent generation, from cardio-lipotoxicity. Furthermore, we find that intergenerational inheritance of lipotoxic cardiomyopathy correlates with elevated systemic H3K27 trimethylation. Lowering H3K27 trimethylation genetically or pharmacologically in the offspring of HFD-fed parents prevents cardiac pathology. This suggests that metabolic homeostasis is epigenetically regulated across generations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Genetically Modified
  • Cardiomyopathies / etiology
  • Cardiomyopathies / genetics*
  • Cardiomyopathies / metabolism
  • Cardiomyopathies / pathology
  • Diet, High-Fat / adverse effects
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Drosophila
  • Drosophila Proteins / genetics
  • Drosophila Proteins / metabolism
  • Female
  • Genetic Predisposition to Disease*
  • Histones / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Lipase / genetics
  • Lipase / metabolism
  • Lipid Metabolism / genetics*
  • Male
  • Methylation / drug effects
  • Myocardium / metabolism
  • Myocardium / pathology
  • Obesity / metabolism*
  • Positive Transcriptional Elongation Factor B / genetics
  • Positive Transcriptional Elongation Factor B / metabolism
  • Triglycerides / metabolism
  • Triglycerides / toxicity*

Substances

  • Drosophila Proteins
  • Histones
  • Triglycerides
  • pgc protein, Drosophila
  • Positive Transcriptional Elongation Factor B
  • Lipase