First name
Anna
Last name
Russo
Year of Study
Research Center
Thesis Title
Diet-specific epigenetic signature revealed by H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 data analysis in C57BL6 mice
Thesis Abstract
Increasing evidences demonstrate that adapting to different environmental conditions
is mediated by epigenetic changes, which can participate in cellular processes. In
particular, adaptation to different caloric intakes is crucial for the organism’s fitness.
Moreover, the phenotypic remodeling induced by different diets determines the
susceptibility to life-threatening diseases: western diet is responsible for about 30-
35% of cancer cases, in addition to increased incidence of type 2 diabetes and
cardiovascular diseases; while, caloric restriction has been shown to be the most
powerful way to prolong lifespan and reduce cancer incidence in different
experimental models.
Based on the hypothesis that epigenetic changes represent the mechanistic link
between diet and disease risk, the aim of this work is to investigate chromatin
modifications induced by different diets in murine models to identify specific
epigenetic profiles associated with different caloric intakes.
Eight weeks old C57Bl/6 mice were divided in three groups and fed for 10 months
with different diets: Standard Diet, Calorie Restriction without malnutrition, High Fat
Diet.
Livers were extracted and investigated by chromatin immunoprecipitation (anti-
H3K4me3, anti-H3K27me3) and transcriptomic approach.
Data analysis demonstrated that specific epigenetic profiles were associated to
different diets. In particular, the distribution and frequency of H3K4me3 enabled the
clustering of samples by diet-group.
Moreover, functional annotation of genes showing an increased signal of H3K4me3
for HF or CR respect to SD on their promoter regions, resulted in significantly
enriched “Type II diabetes”, for which obesity represents a critical risk factor, and
“Circadian Rhythm” pathways, whose known to affect longevity.
is mediated by epigenetic changes, which can participate in cellular processes. In
particular, adaptation to different caloric intakes is crucial for the organism’s fitness.
Moreover, the phenotypic remodeling induced by different diets determines the
susceptibility to life-threatening diseases: western diet is responsible for about 30-
35% of cancer cases, in addition to increased incidence of type 2 diabetes and
cardiovascular diseases; while, caloric restriction has been shown to be the most
powerful way to prolong lifespan and reduce cancer incidence in different
experimental models.
Based on the hypothesis that epigenetic changes represent the mechanistic link
between diet and disease risk, the aim of this work is to investigate chromatin
modifications induced by different diets in murine models to identify specific
epigenetic profiles associated with different caloric intakes.
Eight weeks old C57Bl/6 mice were divided in three groups and fed for 10 months
with different diets: Standard Diet, Calorie Restriction without malnutrition, High Fat
Diet.
Livers were extracted and investigated by chromatin immunoprecipitation (anti-
H3K4me3, anti-H3K27me3) and transcriptomic approach.
Data analysis demonstrated that specific epigenetic profiles were associated to
different diets. In particular, the distribution and frequency of H3K4me3 enabled the
clustering of samples by diet-group.
Moreover, functional annotation of genes showing an increased signal of H3K4me3
for HF or CR respect to SD on their promoter regions, resulted in significantly
enriched “Type II diabetes”, for which obesity represents a critical risk factor, and
“Circadian Rhythm” pathways, whose known to affect longevity.
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