Prenatal Adversity Alters the Epigenetic Profile of the Prefrontal Cortex: Sexually Dimorphic Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Food-related Stress
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ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Rattus norvegicus
PROVIDER: GSE186840 | GEO | 2021/11/01
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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Project description:Background: Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is associated with alterations in numerous physiological systems, including the stress and immune systems. We have previously shown that PAE increases the course and severity of arthritis in an adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) model. While the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects are not fully known, changes in neural gene expression are emerging as important factors in the etiology of PAE effects. As the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HPC) play key roles in neuroimmune function, PAE-induced alterations to their transcriptome may underlie abnormal steady-state functions and responses to immune challenge. The current study examined brains from adult PAE and control females from our recent AA study to determine whether PAE causes long-term alterations in gene expression and whether these mediate the altered severity and course of arthritis in PAE females Methods: Adult females from PAE, pair-fed [PF], and ad libitum-fed control [C]) groups were injected with either saline or complete FreundM-bM-^@M-^Ys adjuvant. Animals were terminated at the peak of inflammation or during resolution (days 16 and 39 post-injection, respectively); cohorts of saline-injected PAE, PF and C females were terminated in parallel. Gene expression was analyzed in the PFC and HPC using whole genome mRNA expression microarrays. Results: Significant changes in gene expression in both the PFC and HPC were found in PAE compared to controls in response to ethanol exposure alone (saline-injected females), including genes involved in neurodevelopment, apoptosis, and energy metabolism. Moreover, in response to inflammation (adjuvant-injected females), PAE animals showed unique expression patterns, while failing to exhibit the activation of genes and regulators involved in the immune response observed in control and pair-fed animals. Conclusions: These results support the hypothesis that PAE affects neuroimmune function at the level of gene expression, demonstrating long-term effects of PAE on the CNS response under steady-state conditions and following an inflammatory insult. Key words: prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), ethanol, inflammation, arthritis, gene expression, rat. 192 samples, including 20 hybridization replicates
2014-11-21 | E-GEOD-63561 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Background: Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is associated with alterations in numerous physiological systems, including the stress and immune systems. We have previously shown that PAE increases the course and severity of arthritis in an adjuvant-induced arthritis (AA) model. While the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects are not fully known, changes in neural gene expression are emerging as important factors in the etiology of PAE effects. As the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HPC) play key roles in neuroimmune function, PAE-induced alterations to their transcriptome may underlie abnormal steady-state functions and responses to immune challenge. The current study examined brains from adult PAE and control females from our recent AA study to determine whether PAE causes long-term alterations in gene expression and whether these mediate the altered severity and course of arthritis in PAE females Methods: Adult females from PAE, pair-fed [PF], and ad libitum-fed control [C]) groups were injected with either saline or complete Freund’s adjuvant. Animals were terminated at the peak of inflammation or during resolution (days 16 and 39 post-injection, respectively); cohorts of saline-injected PAE, PF and C females were terminated in parallel. Gene expression was analyzed in the PFC and HPC using whole genome mRNA expression microarrays. Results: Significant changes in gene expression in both the PFC and HPC were found in PAE compared to controls in response to ethanol exposure alone (saline-injected females), including genes involved in neurodevelopment, apoptosis, and energy metabolism. Moreover, in response to inflammation (adjuvant-injected females), PAE animals showed unique expression patterns, while failing to exhibit the activation of genes and regulators involved in the immune response observed in control and pair-fed animals. Conclusions: These results support the hypothesis that PAE affects neuroimmune function at the level of gene expression, demonstrating long-term effects of PAE on the CNS response under steady-state conditions and following an inflammatory insult. Key words: prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), ethanol, inflammation, arthritis, gene expression, rat.
2014-11-21 | GSE63561 | GEO
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:Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is linked to elevated risk for systemic adult-onset diseases like hypertension, impaired glucose and immune regulation, and in animal models, to impaired recovery from acute onset diseases like cerebrovascular ischemic stroke. Recent evidence suggests that the gastrointestinal system rapidly becomes dysbiotic following cerebrovascular stroke, resulting in systemic inflammation. We hypothesized that a history of PAE would modify the systemic effects of stroke, and transduce exposure-dependent transcriptomic changes in downstream sentinel tissues of the enteric portal circulation that have previously been linked to biobehavioral outcomes in rodent PAE models. Pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to repeated episodes of vaporized ethanol or room air from gestational day 8 to 19. At 5 months, progeny from each treatment condition were subjected to unilateral endothelin-1 induced occlusion of the middle cerebral artery and outcomes evaluated after 2 days while other progeny stayed stroke-naïve. Stroke induced disabilities were assessed by behavioral assays (adhesive removal, Vibrissae evoked fore-limb placement, circling) and infarct size. The mesenteric adipose tissue and liver transcriptomes were assessed by sequencing, from age-matched stroke-exposed and stroke-naïve offspring. In stroke-naïve animals, pathway analysis identified rRNA processing as downregulated and citric acid cycle as upregulated in mesenteric adipose. Weighted gene correlation network analysis (WGCNA) identified, in the liver of stoke-naïve animals, a moderate but significant correlation between PAE status and necroptosis, a proinflammatory form of programmed cell death (Pearson’s r=0.554, p<0.05). Two days after a stroke, PAE rats exhibited worse neurological scores compared to controls (p<0.05). WGCNA after stroke identified an adipose gene network associated with B cell differentiation and NF-kappa B signaling as moderately correlated with post-stroke neurological function (Pearson's r=0.52, p=0.05). Post-stroke WGCNA also identified a liver proinflammatory gene network strongly correlated with post-stroke neurological function (Pearson's r=-0.63, p<0.01). PAE persistently alters the transcriptome of afferent tissue targets of enteric circulation in adult rat offspring. Moreover, PAE-linked enteric inflammation is correlated to worse outcomes following cerebrovascular ischemic stroke in adulthood. Enteric disturbances may mediate adverse brain health outcomes due to PAE in adulthood.
2023-08-29 | GSE217173 | 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:Prenatal exposure to infectious or inflammatory insults can increase the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders with neurodevelopmental components, including schizophrenia and autism. The molecular processes underlying this pathological association are only partially understood. Here, we implemented an unbiased genome-wide transcriptional profiling of the prefrontal cortex of mice exposed to prenatal infection on GD17 compared to control subjects in order to elucidate the long term molecular signature of late prenatal infection. We used microarray analysis to investigate the long lasting gene expression changes in a well-established mouse model that is based on maternal treatment with the viral mimic poly(I:C) during pregnancy C57BL/6 mice were treated with the synthetic viral mimetic poly(I:C) (5 mg/kg, i.v.) or control (saline, i.v.) solution on gestation day 17. Offspring were subjected to cognitive and behavioral testing in adulthood, and then whole genome gene expression analysis with Affymetrix Microarray and subsequent q-PCR validation were performed on the prefrontal Cortex.
2016-03-01 | E-GEOD-77972 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Prenatal exposure to infectious or inflammatory insults can increase the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders with neurodevelopmental components, including schizophrenia and autism. The molecular processes underlying this pathological association are only partially understood. Here, we implemented an unbiased genome-wide transcriptional profiling of the nucleus accumbens of mice exposed to prenatal infection on GD17 compared to control subjects in order to elucidate the long term molecular signature of late prenatal infection. We used microarray analysis to investigate the long lasting gene expression changes in a well-established mouse model that is based on maternal treatment with the viral mimic poly(I:C) during pregnancy C57BL/6 mice were treated with the synthetic viral mimetic poly(I:C) (5 mg/kg, i.v.) or control (saline, i.v.) solution on gestation day 17. Offspring were subjected to cognitive and behavioral testing in adulthood, and then whole genome gene expression analysis with Affymetrix Microarray and subsequent q-PCR validation were performed on the nucleus accumbens.
2016-03-01 | E-GEOD-77971 | biostudies-arrayexpress
Project description:Prenatal exposure to infectious or inflammatory insults can increase the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders with neurodevelopmental components, including schizophrenia and autism. The molecular processes underlying this pathological association are only partially understood. Here, we implemented an unbiased genome-wide transcriptional profiling of the prefrontal cortex of mice exposed to prenatal infection on GD17 compared to control subjects in order to elucidate the long term molecular signature of late prenatal infection. We used microarray analysis to investigate the long lasting gene expression changes in a well-established mouse model that is based on maternal treatment with the viral mimic poly(I:C) during pregnancy
2016-03-01 | GSE77972 | GEO
Project description:Prenatal exposure to infectious or inflammatory insults can increase the risk of neuropsychiatric disorders with neurodevelopmental components, including schizophrenia and autism. The molecular processes underlying this pathological association are only partially understood. Here, we implemented an unbiased genome-wide transcriptional profiling of the nucleus accumbens of mice exposed to prenatal infection on GD17 compared to control subjects in order to elucidate the long term molecular signature of late prenatal infection. We used microarray analysis to investigate the long lasting gene expression changes in a well-established mouse model that is based on maternal treatment with the viral mimic poly(I:C) during pregnancy
2016-03-01 | GSE77971 | GEO
Project description:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) encompasses an array of effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), including physical abnormalities and cognitive and behavioral deficits. Disruptions of cortical development have been implicated in multiple PAE studies, with deficits including decreased progenitor proliferation, disrupted neuronal differentiation, aberrant radial migration of pyramidal neurons, and decreased cortical thickness. While several mechanisms of alcohol teratogenicity have been explored, how specific cell types in the brain at different developmental time points may be differentially affected by PAE is still poorly understood. In this study, we used single nucleus RNA sequencing (snRNAseq) to investigate whether moderate PAE from neurulation through peak cortical neurogenesis induces cell type-specific transcriptomic changes in the developing murine brain. Cluster analysis identified 25 neuronal cell types, including subtypes of neural epithelial cells (NECs), radial glial cells (RGCs), intermediate progenitor cells (IPCs), projection neurons, and interneurons. Only Wnt-expressing NECs showed a significant decrease in the percentage of cells after PAE, with no cell types showing PAE-induced apoptosis as measured by caspase expression. Cell cycle analysis revealed only a subtype of RGCs expressing the downstream Wnt signaling transcription factor Tcf7l2 had a decreased percentage of cells in the G2/M phase of the cell cycle, suggesting decreased proliferation in this RGC subtype and further implicating disrupted Wnt signaling after PAE at this early developmental timepoint. An increased pseudotime score in IPC and projection neuron cell types indicated that PAE led to increased or premature differentiation of these cells. Biological processes affected by PAE included the upregulation of pathways related to synaptic activity and neuronal differentiation and downregulation of pathways related to chromosome structure and the cell cycle. Several cell types showed a decrease in Wnt signaling pathways, with several genes related to Wnt signaling altered by PAE in multiple cell types. As Wnt has been shown to promote proliferation and inhibit differentiation at earlier stages in development, the downregulation of Wnt signaling may have resulted in premature neuronal maturation of projection neurons and their intermediate progenitors. Overall, these findings provide further insight into the cell type-specific effects of PAE during early corticogenesis.
2022-11-15 | GSE211534 | GEO