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Strain-specific programming of prenatal ethanol exposure across generations.
Daniel O Popoola1, Michael E Nizhnikov2, Nicole M Cameron1
1Psychology Department, Center for Developmental and Behavioral Neuroscience, Developmental Exposure Alcohol Research Center, Binghamton University- SUNY, 4400 Vestal Parkway East, Binghamton, NY 13902, USA.
Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.)
|April 24, 2017
Summary
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can affect offspring sensitivity to alcohol across generations, with effects varying by rat strain and impacting GABA receptor subunits in later generations.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) can lead to long-term behavioral deficits.
- These effects can be transmitted across generations (intergenerational transmission).
- Genetic and epigenetic factors play a role in this transmission.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the intergenerational effects of PAE on ethanol-induced hypnosis.
- To examine strain-dependent differences in PAE consequences.
- To explore changes in GABAA receptor subunit expression following PAE.
Main Methods:
- Used two rat strains (Long-Evans and Sprague-Dawley) exposed to low-dose ethanol during gestation.
- Assessed ethanol sensitivity using the loss of righting reflex (LORR) paradigm in F1 and F2 generations.
- Quantified GABAA receptor α1, α4, and δ subunit protein expression via Western blotting in the cerebral cortex.
Main Results:
- PAE attenuated ethanol sensitivity in Sprague-Dawley rats but not Long-Evans rats across generations.
- PAE did not affect GABAA receptor subunit expression in F1 Sprague-Dawley rats.
- PAE decreased GABAA receptor α4 and δ subunit expression in F2 Sprague-Dawley rats, with a trend for α1 reduction.
Conclusions:
- PAE consequences on ethanol sensitivity are strain-dependent.
- Intergenerational effects of PAE on ethanol sensitivity and GABAA receptor expression occur in a strain-specific manner.
- Genetic and epigenetic interactions likely mediate the long-term outcomes of PAE.
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