Early prenatal alcohol exposure alters imprinted gene expression in placenta and embryo in a mouse model

PLoS One. 2018 May 15;13(5):e0197461. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0197461. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can harm the embryonic development and cause life-long consequences in offspring's health. To clarify the molecular mechanisms of PAE we have used a mouse model of early alcohol exposure, which is based on maternal ad libitum ingestion of 10% (v/v) ethanol for the first eight days of gestation (GD 0.5-8.5). Owing to the detected postnatal growth-restricted phenotype in the offspring of this mouse model and both prenatal and postnatal growth restriction in alcohol-exposed humans, we focused on imprinted genes Insulin-like growth factor 2 (Igf2), H19, Small Nuclear Ribonucleoprotein Polypeptide N (Snrpn) and Paternally expressed gene 3 (Peg3), which all are known to be involved in embryonic and placental growth and development. We studied the effects of alcohol on DNA methylation level at the Igf2/H19 imprinting control region (ICR), Igf2 differentially methylated region 1, Snrpn ICR and Peg3 ICR in 9.5 embryonic days old (E9.5) embryos and placentas by using MassARRAY EpiTYPER. To determine alcohol-induced alterations globally, we also examined methylation in long interspersed nuclear elements (Line-1) in E9.5 placentas. We did not observe any significant alcohol-induced changes in DNA methylation levels. We explored effects of PAE on gene expression of E9.5 embryos as well as E9.5 and E16.5 placentas by using quantitative PCR. The expression of growth promoter gene Igf2 was decreased in the alcohol-exposed E9.5 and E16.5 placentas. The expression of negative growth controller H19 was significantly increased in the alcohol-exposed E9.5 embryos compared to controls, and conversely, a trend of decreased expression in alcohol-exposed E9.5 and E16.5 placentas were observed. Furthermore, increased Snrpn expression in alcohol-exposed E9.5 embryos was also detected. Our study indicates that albeit no alterations in the DNA methylation levels of studied sequences were detected by EpiTYPER, early PAE can affect the expression of imprinted genes in both developing embryo and placenta.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alcohols / toxicity*
  • Animals
  • DNA Methylation / drug effects
  • DNA Methylation / genetics
  • Embryo, Mammalian / drug effects*
  • Embryo, Mammalian / metabolism*
  • Female
  • Genomic Imprinting / drug effects
  • Genomic Imprinting / genetics
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor II / genetics
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor II / metabolism
  • Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors / genetics
  • Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors / metabolism
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Placenta / drug effects*
  • Placenta / metabolism*
  • Pregnancy
  • Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
  • snRNP Core Proteins / genetics
  • snRNP Core Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Alcohols
  • IGF2 protein, mouse
  • Kruppel-Like Transcription Factors
  • Peg3 protein, mouse
  • snRNP Core Proteins
  • Insulin-Like Growth Factor II

Grants and funding

Funded by The Academy of Finland (258304) (N.K.-A.), The Finnish Foundation for Alcohol Studies (N.K.-A. and H.M.), Finnish Cultural Foundation (N.K.-A. and H.M.), Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation (N.K.-A.). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.