Project description:The developing brain is particularly sensitive to ethanol during the brain growth spurt or synaptogenesis (third human trimester equivalent). This has been shown to lead to abnormal brain development and behavioural changes in the adult mouse that are relevant to those seen in humans with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). We evaluated the long-term (postnatal day 60 young adult) gene expression changes that occur in the brain due to ethanol exposure during synaptogenesis. We used microarray analyses to evaluate the changes in brain gene expression at postnatal day 60 that occur due to ethanol treatment at postnatal days 4 and 7 (synaptogenesis). To generate samples, C57BL/6J pups were injected with ethanol (experimental) or saline (control) at postnatal days 4 and 7. Pups were weaned at postnatal day 25 and sacrificed at postnatal day 60. Total RNA was extracted from whole brain tissue and RNA from three male mice from three different litters were pooled as one biological replicate. Each male ethanol-treated mouse represented in a sample was matched by a control littermate present in a control sample. This study consists of two biological replicates for each experimental group (total mice used was n=12).
Project description:The developing brain is particularly sensitive to ethanol during the brain growth spurt or synaptogenesis (third human trimester equivalent). This has been shown to lead to abnormal brain development and behavioural changes in the adult mouse that are relevant to those seen in humans with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). We evaluated the acute (4h post-treatment) gene expression changes that occur in the brain due to ethanol exposure during synaptogenesis (postnatal day 7). We used microarray analyses to evaluate the changes in brain gene expression at postnatal day 7 that occur due to ethanol treatment at postnatal day 7 (synaptogenesis). To generate samples, C57BL/6J pups were injected with ethanol (experimental) or saline (control) at postnatal day 7 (2 x 2.5 g/kg at 0h and 2h). Pups were sacrificed 4 hours following the initial injection. Total RNA was extracted from whole brain tissue and RNA from three male mice from three different litters were pooled as one biological replicate. Each male ethanol-treated mouse represented in a sample was matched by a control littermate present in a control sample. This study consists of two experimental (ethanol-treated) biological replicates and four control (saline vehicle-treated) replicates (total mice used was n=18).
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. To generate samples, two independent groups of female C57BL/6J mice were given access to 10% ethanol in water or water only. Control females had access to water only. Females were mated and continued to drink from gestational day 0 to pup postnatal day 10. Whole brain RNA from adult (postnatal day 70) male ethanol-exposed offspring was extracted. For experiment 1, RNA samples from three mice were pooled to reduce litter effects and the pooled samples were hybridized on Affymetrix arrays (2 control and 2 ethanol chips, total n=12 mice). For experiment 2, RNA from two mice were pooled per chip and three arrays per treatment were used (3 control, 3 ethanol, total n=12 mice).
Project description:In this experiment, we exposed mice to ethanol injections on postnatal days 4 and 7. We then extracted whole-hippocampus on postnatal day 70. We performed two ChIP-chip experiments on all mice form the same tissue using antibodies against H3K4me3 and H3K27me3. We found alterations in both modifications at many sites, including CTCF motifs of protocadherin genes and imprinted loci. We also found many affect lipid metabolism pathways.
Project description:The developing brain is particularly sensitive to ethanol during the brain growth spurt or synaptogenesis (third human trimester equivalent). This has been shown to lead to abnormal brain development and behavioural changes in the adult mouse that are relevant to those seen in humans with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). We evaluated the acute (4h post-treatment) gene expression changes that occur in the brain due to ethanol exposure during synaptogenesis (postnatal day 7). We used microarray analyses to evaluate the changes in brain gene expression at postnatal day 7 that occur due to ethanol treatment at postnatal day 7 (synaptogenesis).
Project description:In this experiment, we exposed mice to ethanol injections on postnatal days 4 and 7. We then extracted whole-hippocampus on postnatal day 70. We performed MeDIP-chip using an antibody against 5mC. We also perfomed MEDME anaylsis using a chip with fully methylated DNA to act as a control. We found alterations in both modifications at many sites, including oxidative stress genes and imprinted loci. We also found many affect lipid metabolism pathways.
Project description:Mouse models of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder can be used to assess molecular changes underlying the disorder. Neonatal ethanol exposure in mice can be used to model third trimester ethanol exposure in humans. Mice were injected with 2.5 g/kg twice on each of postnatal days 4 and 7. Mice were allowed to reach postnatal day 70, at which time whole-hippocampus was isolated and snap frozen. Tissue was thawed and RNA was isolated. RNA run on affymetrix gene expression array according to standard protocol. Each array was a pool of three mice, for a total n=9 ethanol-exposed and 9 control mice. All mice were male.