Role of clock genes in a mouse model for developmental origins of the metabolic syndrome

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Daily, or circadian, rhythms are important in all organisms, including humans. Circadian rhythms influence nearly all aspects of physiology and behaviour, including our sleep-wake cycles, activity, feeding behaviour, cardiovascular function, body temperature and metabolism. These rhythms are generated within the body and the mechanisms that control them takes form while the baby is still in the mother's womb. Studies have shown that the diet of the mother during pregnancy is important in maintaining the health of her offspring and may also influence their susceptibility to developing obesity, diabetes and heart disease later in life. If the mother eats a healthy diet during pregnancy, one would expect the development of normal circadian rhythms of the baby's body function and metabolism, enabling the baby to cope with a healthy diet in childhood and adulthood. The risk of the person developing obesity, diabetes and heart disease later in life is very low. However, if the mother eats an unhealthy diet during pregnancy it might result in the abnormal development of circadian rhythms of body function and metabolism. This leads to disruption in sleep and activity patterns and inefficient processing of the food the baby eats. The baby is at risk of becoming heavier and fatter and will have high blood pressure in adulthood. If the baby is not brought up after birth and throughout childhood to eat a healthy diet, but eats instead a diet rich in fat, the baby's already disrupted circadian rhythms of metabolism is now not able to cope with this diet. This person is likely to become obese and risk of adult diabetes and heart disease later in life increases considerably. It is our intention of undertaking this study using a rodent model. Only by choosing an animal model is it possible to study this phenomenon, because it is necessary to change both the pre- and post natal diets and it would be unethical to undertake these changes in pregnant mothers and their babies.