Endocrine Abstracts

Thyroid hormones increase foetal and adult metabolic rates, and, in adult tissues, increase mitochondrial biogenesis. Foetal tri-iodothyronine (T3) concentrations rise towards term in preparation for the increased postnatal energy demands but whether they affect mitochondrial development remains unknown. This study examined mitochondrial development in skeletal muscle of thyroid hormone deficient sheep foetuses near term.At 105–110 days (...

Placental restriction (PR) of fetal growth impairs insulin action and metabolic control in postnatal life. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important post-transcriptional regulators, down regulating mRNA abundance or translation. We therefore determined if PR in the sheep alters miR expression in liver, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue of adult offspring and if this associates with altered abundance of their predicted molecular targets.PR was induced by pre-preg...