# Programmatic role of maternal preconception stress on offspring metabolic health

> **NIH NIH F32** · UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE · 2020 · $65,310

## Abstract

Project Summary
African-American women and their infants are twice as likely to experience pathologies or die up to one year
postpartum than their Caucasian counterparts, even when controlling for income, access to care, and education.
The underlying cause of this racial disparity is not well understood, but one contributing factor may be the
perceived stress of racism (PSR). Racial discrimination evokes a physiological stress response and across the
lifespan precipitates a state of chronic stress. Like chronic stress, PSR is associated with impaired responses to
stress, premature aging pathologies, increased risk of chronic diseases, and increased cumulative “wear and
tear” on body systems, or allostatic load. However, the mechanisms by which stress experience throughout a
woman’s lifetime, including PSR, interacts with subsequent psychological or physiological challenges are
unknown. As pregnancy is a time of incredible metabolic demands and increased placental oxidative and
mitochondrial stress are key endophenotypes of gestational pathologies like gestational diabetes, increased
allostatic load prior to pregnancy may contribute to gestational disorder risk. We have developed a novel mouse
model of maternal preconception stress, where preconception stress programs maternal metabolic dysfunction,
unmasked by the energetic demands of pregnancy, and alters maternal and fetal health outcomes. Exciting
preliminary data implicates sex-specific epigenetic changes in the placenta in programming female offspring
stress dysregulation. Based on these data, we hypothesize that the energetic demands of pregnancy unmask
latent maternal metabolic dysfunction programmed by preconception stress, altering offspring development and
maternal health involving sex-specific epigenetic reprogramming of the placenta. Under the guidance of the
primary mentor, Dr. Bale, and mentoring committee, the outlined training plan will allow the PI to gain the
necessary technical and didactic training in epigenetics, bioinformatics, and metabolism (1), to leverage this
training to implement ‘omics technology and advance knowledge on the long-term programmatic effects of
preconception stress (2), and enhance grantsmanship, scientific writing, and mentorship skills building towards
the ultimate goal of becoming an independent Principal Investigator (3). All training will occur at the University of
Maryland School of Medicine, a major research institution with a vast network of core services with state-of-the-
art facilities and expertise to support biomedical research. Three Specific Aims will address this hypothesis by
determining the role of preconception stress programming of the maternal milieu in altering offspring
development (Aim 1), how placental OGT integrates metabolic signals from the maternal milieu to program fetal
development (Aim 2), and the intergenerational consequences of preconception stress compounded by female
offspring stress hypersensitivity (Aim 3). This res...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9907296
- **Project number:** 1F32HD101302-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE
- **Principal Investigator:** Yasmine Cisse
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $65,310
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-03-01 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9907296

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9907296, Programmatic role of maternal preconception stress on offspring metabolic health (1F32HD101302-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9907296. Licensed CC0.

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