HMGCR and hydrops fetalis: To examine whether the observed effect of a prenatal HF diet on hepatic gene expression is regulated by alterations in DNA methylation, further analysis was performed on the candidate genes, Cd163, Hmgcr, Aacs, Lpin1, Pla2g16, Saa1, and Il1r1. These genes were selected based on their involvement in lipid metabolism (Hmgcr, Aacs, Lpin1, and Pla2g16) or inflammation (Cd163, Saa1, and Il1r1) and their significant differential expression in the microarray.