HDR defense Gwenola LE DREAN

Title : Perinatal nutrition and early microbiota on the gut-brain axis, entero-endocrine function and eating behavior

Keywords : Perinatal nutrition, metabolic programming, entero-endocrine cells, microbiota, homeostatic regulation

Abstract : According to the concept of the Developmental Origin of Health and Disease (DOHaD), an altered perinatal environment, such as malnutrition, predisposes to metabolic diseases later in life (diabetes, obesity, etc.). This HDR manuscript summarises the work carried out on the effects of perinatal nutrition and microbiota in early life on the transmission of metabolic risk to offspring, including alteration of eating behaviour. The main target is the gut-brain
axis, particularly entero-endocrine cells, which are gut sentinels of the central nervous system. Nutritional manipulations of mothers in the perinatal period and modulations of the microbiota in early life on rodents have shown defects in the regulation of food intake associated with a loss of vagal sensitivity and adaptations of the intestinal endocrine system. Mechanistic ways are being explored to understand the early interactions between the intestinal microbiota, entero-endocrine cells and enteric/vagal afferent neurons. Entero-endocrine cells (incretin function) are also being studied in a model of maternal hyperglycaemia and the related metabolic risk in offspring. Finally, a new project on the developmental origin of neurodegenerative diseases is underway following the identification of the Tau protein in these cells.

Composition of the jury :
Examiners :
Pascale CHAVATTE-PALMER Directrice de Recherche, INRAE, Jouy-en -Josas
Patricia SERRAS-PACHECO Professeure, Sorbonne Université, Paris
André BADO Directeur de Recherche, INSERM, Univeristé Paris Cité
Hervé BLOTTIERE Directeur de Recherche, INRAE, Nantes Université
Khadija OUGUERRAM Professeure, Nantes Université