Project description:Accumulating evidence suggests that lifestyle-related factors may influence radiation responses and the resulting cancer risks through epigenetic mechanisms, such as miRNA regulations. Chronic alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for various pathologies, including alcoholic liver disease. We have recently shown that consumption of Japanese sake promotes glutathione metabolism and anti-oxidative activities in the liver of irradiated C57BL/6 mice. Here we show that chronic alcohol consumption resulted in elevated ciculating levels of the inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and that it triggered specific miRNA regulations (such as the upregulation of the radio-resistant miR-210) that are susceptible to influence the resulting radiation effects in the mouse liver.
Project description:Accumulating evidence suggests that lifestyle-related factors may influence radiation responses and the resulting cancer risks through epigenetic mechanisms, such as miRNA regulations. Chronic alcohol consumption is a major risk factor for various pathologies, including alcoholic liver disease. We have recently shown that consumption of Japanese sake promotes glutathione metabolism and anti-oxidative activities in the liver of irradiated C57BL/6 mice. Here we show that chronic alcohol consumption resulted in elevated ciculating levels of the inflammatory cytokine TNF-α and that it triggered specific miRNA regulations (such as the upregulation of the radio-resistant miR-210) that are susceptible to influence the resulting radiation effects in the mouse liver. Japanese sake was administrated to C3H mice irradiated with 3 Gy X-rays. miRNA expression was measured in the livers of 3 mice for each experimental group.
Project description:Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause long-lasting changes in functional and genetic programs of the brain, which may underlie behavioral alterations found in FASD. Here, we demonstrated that maternal binge alcohol consumption alters the expression of genes involved in nervous system development. Maternal binge alcohol consumption alters several important genes that are involved in nervous system development in the mouse hippocampus at embryonic day 18 (ED18)
Project description:We investigated the molecular mechanisms of chronic alcohol consumption or lipopolysaccharide insult by gene expression profiling in prefrontal cortex and liver of C57BL/6J mice. We identified similar patterns of transcriptional changes in brain and liver among three different alcohol consumption tests and lipopolysaccharide injection. We also demonstrated distinct genomic consequences of different types of alcohol consumption.
Project description:We investigated the molecular mechanisms of chronic alcohol consumption or lipopolysaccharide insult by gene expression profiling in prefrontal cortex and liver of C57BL/6J mice. We identified similar patterns of transcriptional changes in brain and liver among three different alcohol consumption tests and lipopolysaccharide injection. We also demonstrated distinct genomic consequences of different types of alcohol consumption. The microarray experiment was performed to compare gene expression changes induced by three separate paradigms of alcohol consumption and immune activation by lipopolysaccharide injection. The three tests of alcohol consumption were the continuous chronic two bottle choice (Chronic), two bottle choice available every other day (Chronic Intermittent) and limited access to one bottle of ethanol (Drinking in the Dark). All alcohol studies utilized 20% ethanol and each treatment group had it's own control group which received only water. The immune activation test consisted of 2 lipopolysaccharide injections (1 mg/kg i.p.) spaced one week apart, with animals being sacrificed one week after the last injection. Control animals received saline injections. All studies used female, adult mice.
Project description:There is a growing interest in understanding how lifestyle choices and social factors affect life expectancy, healthspan, and the onset of chronic age-related diseases, including cancer. Although alcohol is a known carcinogen that accounts for roughly one-third of primary liver cancer cases worldwide, it is not yet known if chronic alcohol consumption by an individual’s parents heritably influences their predisposition to developing liver cancer. Here, we employed our established multiplex mouse model to compare sensitivities of the male offspring of maternal, paternal, and dual-parental alcohol exposures to the potent hepatocellular carcinoma inducer, Diethylnitrosamine (DEN), and determine their predisposition for tumor formation and growth. Our experiments reveal that chronic parental alcohol consumption programs a pro-tumor environment in the liver. This increased cancer susceptibility correlates with increased steatosis, hepatic fibrosis, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Interestingly, some of these changes display accumulative effects and are more pronounced when both parents are exposed to alcohol.
Project description:Alcoholic liver disease, which varies in severity from mild steatosis to cirrhosis and hepatitis, is one of the most prevalent chronic liver diseases worldwide. Excessive alcohol consumption remains the leading cause of ALD and alcohol-related complications and deaths. However, no medications have been developed to treat this disease and its pathogenesis remains elusive. Here, to understand alcohol-induced AhR activation in more detail, transcriptomic data was conducted using livers from mice subjected to either control or Lieber-DeCarli alcohol diets.
Project description:Purpose: Traditional whole-tissue sequencing approaches do not fully capture brain cell-type specific effects of chronic alcohol. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the specific transcriptome alterations in astrocytes due to chronic alcohol. Methods: We performed RNA-sequencing on astrocytes isolated from the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of C57BL/6J mice following chronic every-other-day alcohol consumption. Results: Differential expression analysis revealed alcohol-induced gene expression changes unique to astrocytes that could not be identified using whole tissue homogenate analysis. Enrichment analysis revealed involvement of calcium-related signaling and regulation of extracellular matrix genes in the astrocyte response to alcohol abuse. Conclusion: Our study presents the first focused analysis on the astrocyte transcriptome following chronic alcohol consumption, provides a framework for studying the functional response of astrocytes to alcohol and the possible astrocyte-specific effects of alcohol. In addition, our data represents a novel resource for groups interested in biological functions of astrocytes in the adult mouse PFC.