GDF15 knockout does not substantially impact perinatal body weight or neonatal outcomes in mice

Abstract Growth differentiation factor-15 (GDF15) increases in circulation during pregnancy and has been implicated in food intake, weight loss, complications of pregnancy, and metabolic illness. We used a Gdf15 knockout mouse model (Gdf15−/−) to assess the role of GDF15 in body weight regulation and food intake during pregnancy. We found that Gdf15−/− dams consumed a similar amount of food and gained comparable weight during the course of pregnancy compared with Gdf15+/+ dams. Insulin sensitivity on gestational day 16.5 was also similar between genotypes. In the postnatal period, litter size and survival rates were similar between genotypes. There was a modest reduction in birth weight of Gdf15−/− pups, but this difference was no longer evident from postnatal day 3.5 to 14.5. We observed no detectable differences in milk volume production or milk fat percentage. These data suggest that GDF15 is dispensable for changes in food intake, and body weight as well as insulin sensitivity during pregnancy in a mouse model.