PRJNA385962
Epigenetic Effects of Prenatal Ethanol Exposure: High Resolution Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Profiling in a Mouse Model for Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Exposure to ethanol during gestation leads to a wide spectrum of neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders collectively termed fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), the most severe form of which is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). The high incidence and social impact of FASD/FAS are a major public health concern worldwide. However, the underlying molecular mechanism(s) by which prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) leads to FASD/FAS remains unclear. We are examining the hypothesis that PAE alters the epigenome of the developing brain,eventually leading to stably altered patterns of gene expression and contributing to the FASD/FAS phenotype. Using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS), we interrogated the DNA methylation status of ~750,000 CpG sites across the genome of the murine cerebral cortex in offspring of dams fed an ethanol-supplemented (or control) diet throughout gestation.