Environmental constraints during early life result in phenotypic changes that can be
associated with increased disease risk in later life. This suggests persistent alteration of
gene transcription. DNA methylation, which is largely established in utero, provides a causal
mechanism by which unbalanced prenatal nutrition results in such altered gene expression.
We investigated the effect of unbalanced maternal nutrition on the methylation status and
expression of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and peroxisomal proliferator-activated …