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Transgenerational inheritance of fetal alcohol exposure adverse effects on immune gene interferon-?.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Alcohol exposures in utero have been shown to alter immune system functions in the offspring which persists into adulthood. However, it is not apparent why the in utero alcohol effect on the immune system persists into adulthood of fetal alcohol-exposed offspring. The objective of this study was to determine the long-term effects of fetal alcohol exposure on the production of interferon-? (IFN-?), a cytokine known to regulate both innate and adaptive immunity. METHODS:Isogenic Fisher 344 rats were bred to produce pregnant dams, which were fed with a liquid diet containing 6.7% alcohol between gestation days 7 and 21 and pair-fed with an isocaloric liquid diet or fed ad libitum with rat chow; their male and female offspring were used for the study. F1-F3 generation rats were used when they were 2 to 3?months old. Fetal alcohol exposure effects on the Ifn-? gene was determined by measuring the gene promoter methylation and mRNA and protein expression in the spleen. Additionally, transgenerational studies were conducted to evaluate the germline-transmitted effects of fetal alcohol exposure on the Ifn-? gene. RESULTS:Fetal alcohol exposure reduced the expression of Ifn-? mRNA and IFN-? protein while it increased the proximal promoter methylation of the Ifn-? gene in both male and female offspring during the adult period. Transgenerational studies revealed that the reduced levels of Ifn-? expression and increased levels of its promoter methylation persisted only in F2 and F3 generation males derived from the male germ line. CONCLUSION:Overall, these findings provide the evidence that fetal alcohol exposures produce an epigenetic mark on the Ifn-? gene that passes through multiple generations via the male germ line. These data provide the first evidence that the male germ line transmits fetal alcohol exposure's adverse effects on the immune system.

SUBMITTER: Gangisetty O

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7245772 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Transgenerational inheritance of fetal alcohol exposure adverse effects on immune gene interferon-ϒ.

Gangisetty Omkaram O Palagani Ajay A Sarkar Dipak K DK

Clinical epigenetics 20200524 1

<h4>Background</h4>Alcohol exposures in utero have been shown to alter immune system functions in the offspring which persists into adulthood. However, it is not apparent why the in utero alcohol effect on the immune system persists into adulthood of fetal alcohol-exposed offspring. The objective of this study was to determine the long-term effects of fetal alcohol exposure on the production of interferon-ϒ (IFN-ϒ), a cytokine known to regulate both innate and adaptive immunity.<h4>Methods</h4>I ...[more]

PMID: 32448218

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Project description:Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is characterized by neurodevelopmental anomalies manifesting in cognitive and behavioral deficits in the offspring with diverse severities. Social behavior is affected in FASD, and these deficits overlap with those of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Identifying some of the molecular characteristics related to ASD in an animal model of FASD could ultimately provide details on the underlying molecular mechanisms of both disorders that could lead to novel treatments.Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats received the following diets: control (C; ad libitum standard laboratory chow), nutritional control pair-fed (PF), ethanol (EtOH), or an EtOH diet supplemented with 0.3, 1.5, or 7.5 mg thyroxine (T4)/l in the diet. Social behavior and memory were tested in the adult offspring. Plasma total T4, free T3 (fT3), and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels were measured. Hippocampal expression of Gabrb3, Ube3a, Nr2b, Rasgrf1, and Dio3 were measured by RT-qPCR and protein levels of Mecp2 and Slc25a12 by Western blotting.Adult male offspring of EtOH dams showed elevated fT3 and low TSH levels. Adult male, but not female, offspring of EtOH dams exhibited social behavior and memory deficits. Expression of autism candidates, Gabrb3, Ube3a, Mecp2, and Slc25a12, was significantly increased in the hippocampus of male offspring of EtOH dams. Hippocampal Nr2b and Dio3 were also increased, while Rasgrf1 was decreased in the same population. Peripheral thyroid function, social behavioral deficits, and altered expression of the above genes were normalized by simultaneous administration of 0.3 mg/l T4 in the EtOH diet.Our data suggest that social interaction deficits of FASD share molecular mechanism with ASD by showing altered hippocampal expression of several ASD candidate genes. Social interaction deficits as well as the gene expression changes in the offspring of EtOH-consuming dams can be reversed by low dose of thyroid hormone supplementation to the mothers.

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Transgenerational inheritance of fetal alcohol exposure adverse effects on immune gene interferon-?.

Publications

Transgenerational inheritance of fetal alcohol exposure adverse effects on immune gene interferon-ϒ.

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