Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 4, 2025

Construction of Vapor Chambers Used to Expose Mice to Alcohol During the Equivalent of all Three Trimesters of Human Development
15:27

Construction of Vapor Chambers Used to Expose Mice to Alcohol During the Equivalent of all Three Trimesters of Human Development

Published on: July 13, 2014

14.8K

Prenatal alcohol exposure is associated with changes in placental gene co-expression networks

Maya A Deyssenroth1, Randy P Williams2, Corina Lesseur2

  • 1Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.

Scientific Reports
|February 1, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal alcohol exposure impacts fetal development, leading to adverse outcomes. This study identifies placental gene expression changes, offering potential early biomarkers for identifying at-risk infants.

Area of Science:

  • Obstetrics and Gynecology
  • Developmental Biology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Prenatal alcohol exposure causes significant postnatal issues in children.
  • Identifying at-risk infants is difficult due to challenges in confirming exposure and lack of early diagnostic tools.
  • Placental analysis offers a promising avenue for discovering early biomarkers.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To conduct the first transcriptome-wide evaluation of human placental pathways affected by fetal alcohol exposure.
  • To identify molecular pathways and potential biomarkers in the placenta linked to prenatal alcohol exposure.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective longitudinal birth cohort study in Cape Town, South Africa.
  • Bulk tissue RNA sequencing (RNAseq) was performed on placenta samples from heavy drinkers and controls.
  • Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and differential gene expression analysis were employed.

Main Results:

  • Significant alterations in gene expression related to erythropoiesis and angiogenesis were observed in response to fetal alcohol exposure.
  • These placental changes are linked to known postnatal effects of alcohol, including disrupted iron homeostasis, growth, and neurodevelopment.
  • The study identified specific molecular pathways affected by prenatal alcohol exposure.

Conclusions:

  • Placental gene expression analysis provides crucial insights into the molecular effects of prenatal alcohol exposure.
  • Placental biomarkers hold potential for early detection and understanding of alcohol's impact on fetal development.
  • This research underscores the importance of the placenta in mediating fetal alcohol effects.

More Related Videos

Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Quantification of Social Behavior in Adult Rats11:01

Moderate Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and Quantification of Social Behavior in Adult Rats

Published on: December 14, 2014

9.7K
Assessing Teratogenic Changes in a Zebrafish Model of Fetal Alcohol Exposure10:07

Assessing Teratogenic Changes in a Zebrafish Model of Fetal Alcohol Exposure

Published on: March 20, 2012

26.3K

Related Concept Videos

Teratogenicity01:07

Teratogenicity

The ability of a drug to produce structural deformations and functional abnormalities in the developing embryo or the fetus is called teratogenicity, and the drug producing this effect is known as a teratogen. Teratogenic effects include stillbirth, miscarriage, intrauterine growth restriction, and neurocognitive delay. A teratogen may affect the embryo at different stages of development, which is important in determining the type and extent of the damage. During blastocyst formation, the early...
2.5K
Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance02:30

Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance

Diploid organisms inherit genetic material through chromosomes from both parents. Copies of the same gene are known as alleles. In most cases, both alleles are simultaneously expressed and allow various cellular processes to function optimally. If one of the alleles is missing or mutated, the expression of the other allele can compensate; however, this is not true for all genes.
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
34.5K
Cell Specific Gene Expression01:58

Cell Specific Gene Expression

Multicellular organisms contain a variety of structurally and functionally distinct cell types, but the DNA in all the cells originated from the same parent cells. The differences in the cells can be attributed to the differential gene expression. Liver cells, whose functions include detoxification of blood, production of bile to metabolize fats, and synthesis of proteins essential for metabolism, must express a specific set of genes to perform their functions. Gene expression also varies with...
13.6K