title: Prenatal vitamin D deficiency induces an early and more severe experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in the second generation.
abstract: In a previous study, we demonstrated that mouse adult F(1) offspring, exposed to a vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy, developed a less severe and delayed Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis (EAE), when compared with control offspring. We then wondered whether a similar response was observed in the subsequent generation. To answer this question, we assessed F(2) females whose F(1) parents (males or females) were vitamin D-deprived when developing in the uterus of F(0) females. Unexpectedly, we observed that the vitamin D deficiency affecting the F(0) pregnant mice induced a precocious and more severe EAE in the F(2) generation. This paradoxical finding led us to assess its implications for the epidemiology of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in humans. Using the REFGENSEP database for MS trios (the patient and his/her parents), we collected the parents' dates of birth and assessed a potential season of birth effect that could potentially be indicative of the vitamin D status of the pregnant grandmothers. A trend for a reduced number of births in the Fall for the parents of MS patients was observed but statistical significance was not reached. Further well powered studies are warranted to validate the latter finding.
authors.affiliation: Neurobiology of Cell Interactions and Neurophysiopathology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 7259, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille 13015, France.
authors.forename: Diana Andrea
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Fernandes de Abreu
authors.affiliation: Neurobiology of Cell Interactions and Neurophysiopathology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 7259, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille 13015, France.
authors.forename: Véréna
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Landel
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Social Work & Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, 60 Musk Avenue, Kelvin Grove, Qld 4059, Australia.
authors.forename: Adrian G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Barnett
authors.affiliation: Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia.|Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, The Park Centre for Mental Health, Richlands, Qld 4077, Australia.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McGrath
authors.affiliation: Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld 4072, Australia.|Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, The Park Centre for Mental Health, Richlands, Qld 4077, Australia.
authors.forename: Darryl
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Eyles
authors.affiliation: Neurobiology of Cell Interactions and Neurophysiopathology, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, UMR 7259, Aix Marseille Université, Marseille 13015, France.
authors.forename: Francois
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Feron
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004681:Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D036801:Parturition; D010375:Pedigree; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012621:Seasons; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis*
keywords: deficiency; multiple sclerosis; season of birth; transgenerational; vitamin D experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis