Key result
Fetal cardiomyocytes form larger lipid droplets compared with newborn cardiomyocytes, reflecting preparation for the postnatal switch to free fatty acid metabolism.
Why the study?
Expression patterns of genes regulating free fatty acid metabolism in the perinatal sheep myocardium were previously unknown.
Caution advised against clinical translation from sheep data; leaves open human perinatal cardiac metabolic mechanisms.
This study characterized the previously unknown expression patterns of genes that regulate the metabolism of free fatty acids in the perinatal sheep myocardium. This study shows that the prenatal myocardium prepares for the dramatic switch from carbohydrate metabolism to near complete reliance on free fatty acids postnatally. Fetal and neonatal cardiomyocytes also demonstrate differing lipid storage mechanisms where fetal cardiomyocytes form larger lipid droplets compared with newborn cardiomyocytes.
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Drake et al. (2023) studied Perinatal sheep myocardium. Fetal developmental stage vs. Newborn developmental stage was evaluated on Gene expression patterns and lipid storage mechanisms. Fetal cardiomyocytes form larger lipid droplets compared with newborn cardiomyocytes, reflecting preparation for the postnatal switch to free fatty acid metabolism.
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