Maternal nutrient restriction in early pregnancy programs hepatic d

005 ymo importance in the regulation of growth and metabolism. Its function is determined by a complex interaction of nutrition-livers were sampled. NR offspring were of similar birth and body weights at 3 years of age when they had disproportio-consumption can markedly compromise liver size at birth pregnancies were studied (Vonnahme et al. 2003). However, (11bHSD) type 2, which catalyzes the inactivation of cortisol hepatic gluconeogenesis (Gardner et al. 2001, Forhead et al. 87Journal of Endocrinology (2007) 192, 87–97nutrient restriction at this stage results in an age-dependent increase in hepatic mRNA abundance for IGF-I, IGF-II, and the GH receptor (GHR; Brameld et al. 2000). These 2003) in conjunction with an increase in mRNA abundance of a number of genes that can potentially regulate live