Abstract
Reproductive capacity and nutritional input are tightly linked and animals' specific responses to alterations in their physical environment and food availability are crucial to ensuring sustainability of that species. We have assessed how alterations in dietary energy intake (both reductions and excess), as well as in food availability, via intermittent fasting (IF), affect the gonadal transcriptome of both male and female rats. Starting at four months of age, male and female rats were subjected to a 20% or 40% caloric restriction (CR) dietary regime, every other day feeding (IF) or a high fat-high glucose (HFG) diet for six months. The transcriptional activity of the gonadal response to these variations in dietary energy intake was assessed at the individual gene level as well as at the parametric functional level. At the individual gene level, the females showed a higher degree of coherency in gonadal gene alterations to CR than the males. The gonadal transcriptional and hormonal response to IF was also significantly different between the male and female rats. The number of genes significantly regulated by IF in male animals was almost 5 times greater than in the females. These IF males also showed the highest testosterone to estrogen ratio in their plasma. Our data show that at the level of gonadal gene responses, the male rats on the IF regime adapt to their environment in a manner that is expected to increase the probability of eventual fertilization of females that the males predict are likely to be sub-fertile due to their perception of a food deficient environment.
Highlights
The availability of energy in the form of food is a critical factor in the maintenance of the reproductive capacity of mammals
Our findings suggest molecular mechanisms by which males and females differentially modify their reproductive capacity based on the amount and frequency of food availability
The transcriptional heatmap (Figure 1C) represents the variety of significantly up- and down- regulated genes that were altered between the diets in the gonads of the male and female rats
Summary
The availability of energy in the form of food is a critical factor in the maintenance of the reproductive capacity of mammals. Moderate and high levels of dietary energy intake can affect reproductive function in different ways. Maintaining reproductive capacity is an energy-consuming process which is tightly regulated on a gonadal transcriptional level. It is presently unclear how dietary energy intake affects gonadal gene regulation. We have shown previously that low, moderate and high energy diets affect male and female rats differently on biochemical, endocrine, behavioral and genetic levels [1,2]. The maintenance of reproductive capacity is the most crucial function that animals need to maintain and, the capacity to identify and secure energy in the form of food is essential to maintain reproductive status
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
