Prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with changes in placental gene co-expression networks.

ABSTRACT: Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can result in a range of adverse postnatal outcomes among exposed children. However, identifying at-risk children is challenging given the difficulty to confirm prenatal alcohol exposure and the lack of early diagnostic tools. Placental surveys present an important opportunity to uncover early biomarkers to identify those at risk. Here, we report the first transcriptome-wide evaluation to comprehensively evaluate human placental pathways altered by fetal alcohol exposure. In a prospective longitudinal birth cohort in Cape Town, South Africa, we performed bulk tissue RNAseq in placenta samples from 32 women reporting heavy drinking during pregnancy and 30 abstainers/light drinkers. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and differential gen

SUBMITTER: Deyssenroth MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10834523 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature