Hypermethylation of repetitive DNA elements in livers of mice fed an atherogenic diet

Abstract Objective DNA methylation status was examined in C57BL/6J obese mice fed an atherogenic diet (AD) to establish the correlation between epigenetic alterations and obesity-related abnormalities. Methods Six-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were fed a normal diet (ND) or AD for 8 wk. Methylation levels of global DNA and repetitive DNA elements in livers of ND-fed mice and AD-fed mice were examined. Results The total amounts of 5-MeC genomic contents in livers of AD-fed mice were increased as compared with those of ND-fed mice. Hypermethylation of repetitive DNA elements was observed in livers of AD-fed mice. Conclusion Hypermethylation of repetitive DNA elements in livers of AD-fed mice proposes epigenetic changes by nutritional intervention.