Does protein intake during pregnancy affect infants' facial features?

A new study, published in Nature Communications, revealed a novel link between the child's face and pregnancy lifestyle, specifically protein intake during pregnancy.

A child is expected to share facial features with their parents. However, the face is also influenced by factors beyond genetics, so-called environmental factors. Among those, lifestyle during pregnancy is an essential factor. For example, extensive alcohol consumption during pregnancy can lead to facial abnormalities in the child.

A research team led by Andrei Chagin, Professor of Molecular Medicine, the University of Gothenburg, delved into the mechanisms that control the formation of the facial bone structure during the embryonic phase. The studies revealed that a particular signalling pathway in the cells seemed to play a crucial role in shaping the face.

In the study, researchers performed a genome-wide analysis of RNA transcription from non-coding regulatory elements by sequencing the facial mesenchyme of human embryos and cross-checking the active enhancers thus identified against genes, by GWAS for the normal range human facial appearance. To assess the functional role of the pathways involved, they manipulated both genetically and pharmacologically in mice and zebrafish.Pregnant mice were given diets with high and low protein levels.