The Effects of Early Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on Epigenome and Embryonic Development

Genes (Basel). 2021 Jul 19;12(7):1095. doi: 10.3390/genes12071095.

Abstract

Prenatal alcohol exposure is one of the most significant causes of developmental disability in the Western world. Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy leads to an increased risk of neurological deficits and developmental abnormalities in the fetus. Over the past decade, several human and animal studies have demonstrated that alcohol causes alterations in epigenetic marks, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs. There is an increasing amount of evidence that early pregnancy is a sensitive period for environmental-induced epigenetic changes. It is a dynamic period of epigenetic reprogramming, cell divisions, and DNA replication and, therefore, a particularly interesting period to study the molecular changes caused by alcohol exposure as well as the etiology of alcohol-induced developmental disorders. This article will review the current knowledge about the in vivo and in vitro effects of alcohol exposure on the epigenome, gene regulation, and the phenotype during the first weeks of pregnancy.

Keywords: DNA methylation; embryonic stem cells; environmental epigenetics; epigenetic reprogramming; fetal alcohol spectrum disorders; histone modifications; miRNAs; mouse models.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Alcohol Drinking / adverse effects*
  • Animals
  • DNA Methylation / drug effects
  • DNA Methylation / genetics
  • Embryonic Development / drug effects*
  • Epigenesis, Genetic / genetics
  • Epigenome / drug effects
  • Epigenome / genetics*
  • Female
  • Fetus / drug effects
  • Fetus / physiology
  • Histone Code
  • Histones / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Pregnancy
  • Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / chemically induced
  • Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / genetics

Substances

  • Histones