Early Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Maternal Diet Impact Offspring DNA Methylation Across Species
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus
PROVIDER: GSE273157 | GEO | 2024/07/30
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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Project description:Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) alters the development of neurobiological systems, leading to lasting neuroendocrine, neuroimmune, and neurobehavioral deficits. Although the etiology of this reprogramming remains unknown, emerging evidence suggests DNA methylation as a potential mediator and biomarker for the effects of PAE due to its responsiveness to environmental cues and relative stability over time. Here, we utilized a rat model of PAE to examine the DNA methylation profiles of rat hypothalami and leukocytes at four time points during early development to assess the genome-wide impact of PAE on the epigenome and identify potential biomarkers of PAE. Our model of PAE approximates to 1-2x the legal limit of drunk driving in most jurisdictions (blood alcohol 80-150 mg/dl) throughout the equivalent of the first two trimesters of human pregnancy. Hypothalami were analyzed on postnatal (P) days 1, 8, 15, 22 and leukocytes at P22 to compare central and peripheral markers. Genome-wide DNA methylation analysis was performed by methylated DNA immunoprecipitation followed by next-generation sequencing. PAE resulted in lasting changes to DNA methylation profiles across all four ages, with 118 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) displaying persistent alterations across the developmental profile at a false-discovery rate (FDR) <0.05. By contrast, 299 DMRs showed the same direction of change in the hypothalamus and leukocytes of P22 pups at an FDR<0.05, with some genes overlapping with the developmental profile findings. The majority of these DMRs were located in intergenic regions, which contained several computationally-predicted transcription factor binding sites. Differentially methylated genes were generally involved in immune function, epigenetic remodeling, metabolism, and hormonal signaling, as determined by gene ontology analyses. Persistent DNA methylation changes in the hypothalamus may be associated with the long-term deficits observed in PAE. Furthermore, correlations between epigenetic alterations in peripheral tissues and those in the brain will provide a foundation for the development of biomarkers of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Finally, findings from studies of PAE provide important insight into the etiology neurodevelopmental and mental health disorders, as they tend to share numerous symptoms and comorbidities.
2018-10-23 | GSE121582 | GEO
Project description:Maternal ethanol consumption during pregnancy is one of the main causes of Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) produces several adverse manifestations. Even low or moderate intake has been associated with long lasting behavioral and cognitive impairment in offspring. In this study we examined the gene expression profile in the rat nucleus accumbens using microarrays, comparing animals prenatally exposed to ethanol and controls. The microarray gene expression showed an overall downward regulatory effect of PAE. Gene cluster analysis reveals that the main affected gene groups are related to transcription regulation, transcription factors and homeobox genes. We focus on the expression of the C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 16 (Cxcl16) which was differentially expressed. There is a significant reduction in the expression of this chemokine throughout the brain under PAE conditions, evidenced here by qPCR and immunohistochemistry. Chemokines are involved in neuroprotection and implicated in alcohol-induced brain damaged and neuroinflammation in the developing CNS, therefore, the significance of the overall decrease in Cxcl16 expression in the brain as a consequence of PAE, may reflect a reduced ability to neuroprotection against subsequent conditions, such as excitotoxic damage, inflammatory processes or even hypoxic-ischemic insult.
2020-10-30 | GSE160433 | GEO
Project description:Moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy can result in a heterogeneous range of neurobehavioural and cognitive effects, termed fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). We have developed a mouse moder of FASD that involves moderate ethanol exposure throughout gestation achieved by voluntary maternal consumption. This model results in phenotypes relevant to FASD. Since ethanol is known to directly affect the expression of genes in the developing brain leading to abnormal cell death, changes to cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation, and potential changes to epigenetic patterning, we hypothesize that this leaves a long-term footprint on the adult brain. However, the long-term effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on brain gene expression, when behavioural phenotypes are apparent, are unclear. We used two independent microarray experiments and focused on the genes identified by both to evaluate the genome-wide alterations to the adult brain transcriptome caused by prenatal ethanol exposure via moderate maternal drinking.
2011-12-10 | GSE34305 | GEO
Project description:Introduction: Though heavy alcohol drinking has been well characterized as causing a variety of injuries, recent epidemiological evidence in humans suggests moderate consumption may provide beneficial effects. For example, there exists a J- or U-shaped relationship between the level of alcohol intake and cardiovascular disease risk. We investigated the underlying mechanisms of these positive consequences by identifying which genes are responsive to moderate alcohol intake in the liver, the primary site for alcohol metabolism. Methods: Twelve female, inbred, alcohol-preferring (iP10a) rats were split equally between chronic water exposure and voluntary chronic ethanol exposure. Hepatic cholesterol and triglyceride levels were analyzed both histologically and biochemically. Hepatic transcriptomes were paired-end sequenced on the Illumina HiScanSQ system. Reads were analyzed and mapped using CLCbio Genomics Workbench 4.9. We confirmed altered expression of a subset of genes using TaqMan-based qRT-PCR. To quantify DNA methylation, we first digested DNA with methylation sensitive restriction enzymes and then performed qPCR using TaqMan assays surrounding the digest sites. Calculating M-NM-^TCt between a mock digest and digest determines the percent methylation in that locus. Results: Voluntary alcohol consumption in iP10a rats modeled moderate consumption in humans. These levels did not result in intrahepatic fat accumulation. Sequencing produced ~1.2 Gb of sequence per sample, and 65% of reads mapped uniquely. Using a FDR corrected p value of 0.05 we found 250 altered transcripts. Ontology analysis of genes with a fold change M-bM-^IM-%1.3 identified many cholesterol synthesis genes and cytoskeleton subunit genes, all of which were down-regulated. Of the 28 genes reanalyzed by qRT-PCR, altered expression was confirmed in 24 genes including the majority of the cholesterol synthesis and cytoskeleton subunit genes. Lastly, we profiled methylation throughout the promoter and gene body of four genes elicited in the RNA-Seq experiment. We found that alcohol caused demethylation at all loci; however this loss happened in a site-specific, tightly regulated manner. Conclusion: Voluntary consumption in the iP10a animals models moderate consumption in humans, does not produce intrahepatic fat accumulation, and causes down-regulation of a majority of cholesterol synthesis genes. Moderate alcohol also results in a tightly-regulated demethylation effect. Our results explain, at least in part, the J- or U-shaped relationship between level of alcohol intake and cardiovascular disease risk. We sequenced 12 female iP10a rat hepatic transcriptomes providing 6 biological replicates for water control and 6 for ethanol treatment.
2013-05-07 | E-GEOD-46669 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Although alcohol consumption during pregnancy is a major cause of behavioral and learning disabilities, most FASD infants are late- or even misdiagnosed due to clinician’s difficulties achieving early detection of alcohol-induced neurodevelopmental impairments. Neuroplacentology has emerged as a new field of research focusing on the role of the placenta in fetal brain development. Several studies have reported that prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) dysregulates a functional placenta–cortex axis, which is involved in the control of angiogenesis and leads to neurovascular-related defects. However, these studies were focused on PlGF, a pro-angiogenic factor. The aim of the present study is to provide the first transcriptomic “placenta–cortex” signature of the effects of PAE on fetal angiogenesis. Whole mouse genome microarrays of paired placentas and cortices were performed to establish the transcriptomic inter-organ “placenta–cortex” signature in control and PAE groups at gestational day 20. Genespring comparison of the control and PAE signatures revealed that 895 and 1501 genes were only detected in one of two placenta–cortex expression profiles, respectively. Gene ontology analysis indicated that 107 of these genes were associated with vascular development, and String protein–protein interaction analysis showed that they were associated with three functional clusters. PANTHER functional classification analysis indicated that “intercellular communication” was a significantly enriched biological process, and 27 genes were encoded for neuroactive ligand/receptors interactors. Protein validation experiments involving Western blot for one ligand–receptor couple (Agt/AGTR1/2) confirmed the transcriptomic data, and Pearson statistical analysis of paired placentas and fetal cortices revealed a negative correlation between placental Atg and cortical AGTR1, which was significantly impacted by PAE. In humans, a comparison of a 38WG control placenta with a 36WG alcohol-exposed placenta revealed low Agt immunolabeling in the syncytiotrophoblast layer of the alcohol case. In conclusion, this study establishes the first transcriptomic placenta–cortex signature of a developing mouse. The data show that PAE markedly unbalances this inter-organ signature; in particular, several ligands and/or receptors involved in the control of angiogenesis. These data support that PAE modifies the existing communication between the two organs and opens new research avenues regarding the impact of placental dysfunction on the neurovascular development of fetuses. Such a signature would present a clinical value for early diagnosis of brain defects in FASD.
2023-09-01 | GSE241836 | GEO
Project description:Analysis of methylomic alternations related with alcohol use disorders (AUD). The hypothesis is that chronic alcohol consumption might alter genome-wide DNA methylation patterns. The results suggest that differential DNA methylation might be invovled in neuradaptations to alcohol.
2013-11-06 | GSE49393 | GEO
Project description:Background Maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy is associated with a range of physical, cognitive and behavioural outcomes in the offspring which are collectively called fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. We and others have proposed that epigenetic modifications, such as DNA methylation and post-translational histone modifications, mediate the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on gene expression and, ultimately, phenotype. Here we use an inbred C57BL/6J mouse model of early gestational ethanol exposure equivalent, developmentally, to the first 3-4 weeks of pregnancy in humans to examine the long-term effects on gene expression and epigenetic state in the hippocampus. Results Gene expression analysis in the hippocampus revealed sex- and age-specific up-regulation of solute carrier family 17 member 6 (Slc17a6), which encodes vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2). Transcriptional up-regulation correlated with decreased DNA methylation and enrichment of histone H3 lysine 4 trimethylation, an active chromatin mark, at the Slc17a6 promoter. In contrast to Slc17a6 mRNA levels, hippocampal VGLUT2 protein levels were significantly decreased in adult ethanol-exposed offspring, suggesting an additional level of post-transcriptional control. MicroRNA expression profiling in the hippocampus identified four ethanol-sensitive microRNAs, of which miR-467b-5p was predicted to target Slc17a6. In vitro reporter assays showed that miR-467b-5p specifically interacted with the 3’ UTR of Slc17a6, suggesting that it contributes to the reduction of hippocampal VGLUT2 in vivo. A significant correlation between microRNA expression in the hippocampus and serum of ethanol-exposed offspring was also observed. Conclusions Prenatal ethanol exposure has complex transcriptional and post-transcriptional effects on Slc17a6 (VGLUT2) expression in the mouse hippocampus. These effects are observed following a relatively moderate exposure that is restricted to early pregnancy, modelling human consumption of alcohol before pregnancy is confirmed, and are only apparent in male offspring in adulthood. We propose that altered epigenetic and microRNA-mediated regulation of glutamate neurotransmission in the hippocampus contributes to the cognitive and behavioural phenotypes observed in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Our findings also support the idea that circulating microRNAs could be used as biomarkers of early gestational ethanol exposure and/or hippocampal dysfunction.
2015-10-09 | GSE60000 | GEO
Project description:Introduction: Though heavy alcohol drinking has been well characterized as causing a variety of injuries, recent epidemiological evidence in humans suggests moderate consumption may provide beneficial effects. For example, there exists a J- or U-shaped relationship between the level of alcohol intake and cardiovascular disease risk. We investigated the underlying mechanisms of these positive consequences by identifying which genes are responsive to moderate alcohol intake in the liver, the primary site for alcohol metabolism. Methods: Twelve female, inbred, alcohol-preferring (iP10a) rats were split equally between chronic water exposure and voluntary chronic ethanol exposure. Hepatic cholesterol and triglyceride levels were analyzed both histologically and biochemically. Hepatic transcriptomes were paired-end sequenced on the Illumina HiScanSQ system. Reads were analyzed and mapped using CLCbio Genomics Workbench 4.9. We confirmed altered expression of a subset of genes using TaqMan-based qRT-PCR. To quantify DNA methylation, we first digested DNA with methylation sensitive restriction enzymes and then performed qPCR using TaqMan assays surrounding the digest sites. Calculating ΔCt between a mock digest and digest determines the percent methylation in that locus. Results: Voluntary alcohol consumption in iP10a rats modeled moderate consumption in humans. These levels did not result in intrahepatic fat accumulation. Sequencing produced ~1.2 Gb of sequence per sample, and 65% of reads mapped uniquely. Using a FDR corrected p value of 0.05 we found 250 altered transcripts. Ontology analysis of genes with a fold change ≥1.3 identified many cholesterol synthesis genes and cytoskeleton subunit genes, all of which were down-regulated. Of the 28 genes reanalyzed by qRT-PCR, altered expression was confirmed in 24 genes including the majority of the cholesterol synthesis and cytoskeleton subunit genes. Lastly, we profiled methylation throughout the promoter and gene body of four genes elicited in the RNA-Seq experiment. We found that alcohol caused demethylation at all loci; however this loss happened in a site-specific, tightly regulated manner. Conclusion: Voluntary consumption in the iP10a animals models moderate consumption in humans, does not produce intrahepatic fat accumulation, and causes down-regulation of a majority of cholesterol synthesis genes. Moderate alcohol also results in a tightly-regulated demethylation effect. Our results explain, at least in part, the J- or U-shaped relationship between level of alcohol intake and cardiovascular disease risk.
2013-05-07 | GSE46669 | GEO
Project description:Moderate alcohol exposure during pregnancy can result in a heterogeneous range of neurobehavioural and cognitive effects, termed fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). We have developed a mouse model of FASD that involves moderate ethanol exposure throughout gestation achieved by voluntary maternal consumption. This model results in phenotypes relevant to FASD. Since ethanol is known to directly affect the expression of genes in the developing brain leading to abnormal cell death, changes to cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation, and potential changes to epigenetic patterning, we hypothesize that this leaves a long-term footprint on the adult brain. However, the long-term effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on brain gene expression, when behavioural phenotypes are apparent, are unclear. We used a microarray experiment and focused on the genes identified by both to evaluate the genome-wide alterations to the adult brain transcriptome caused by prenatal ethanol exposure.
2011-12-16 | GSE34469 | GEO
Project description:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) encompasses the deleterious consequences of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (PAE), including developmental delay, dysmorphologies, cognitive and behavioral issues. The dose and timing of alcohol exposure, maternal and environmental factors, and genetics all impact FASD outcomes, but differential susceptibility to PAE remains poorly understood. In this study, we examined the differential effects of PAE on mouse brain development by measuring brain weight in embryos (embryonic day 14, E14) and neonatal pups (postnatal day 0, P0) exposed alcohol during early development. We used transcriptomics to determine whether offspring differentially affected by PAE also differ in gene expression. PAE offspring were classified as normal, middle, and low-weight brains relative to controls. The normal-weight brains showed no differences in gene expression, suggesting these offspring were both phenotypically and transcriptionally unaffected by PAE. While both middle- and low-weight brains showed changes in gene expression, the middle-weight brains showed the most robust transcriptome differences. In affected E14 offspring, we saw an upregulation of cell cycle and apoptosis by PAE, whereas at P0, we saw a downregulation of metabolic processes. Overall, these findings highlight variability in response to PAE and demonstrate the molecular processes involved in offspring affected by alcohol.
2024-12-06 | GSE267633 | GEO