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Das U, Gangisetty O, Chaudhary S, Tarale P, Rousseau B, Price J, Frazier I, Sarkar DK. Epigenetic insight into effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on stress axis development: Systematic review with meta-analytic approaches. ALCOHOL, CLINICAL & EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 47:18-35. [PMID: 36341762 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
We conducted a systematic review with meta-analytic elements using publicly available Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) datasets to determine the role of epigenetic mechanisms in prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE)-induced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunctions in offspring. Several studies have demonstrated that PAE has long-term consequences on HPA axis functions in offspring. Some studies determined that alcohol-induced epigenetic alterations during fetal development persist in adulthood. However, additional research is needed to understand the major epigenetic events leading to alcohol-induced teratogenesis of the HPA axis. Our network analysis of GEO datasets identified key pathways relevant to alcohol-mediated histone modifications, DNA methylation, and miRNA involvement associated with PAE-induced alterations of the HPA axis. Our analysis indicated that PAE perturbated the epigenetic machinery to activate corticotrophin-releasing hormone, while it suppressed opioid, glucocorticoid receptor, and circadian clock genes. These results help to further our understanding of the epigenetic basis of alcohol's effects on HPA axis development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ujjal Das
- Endocrinology Program, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Omkaram Gangisetty
- Endocrinology Program, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Shaista Chaudhary
- Endocrinology Program, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Prashant Tarale
- Endocrinology Program, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Bénédicte Rousseau
- Endocrinology Program, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Julianne Price
- Molecular Neuroscience of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Training, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
- Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Kinesiology & Health, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Ian Frazier
- Molecular Neuroscience of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Training, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
- Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Kinesiology & Health, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
| | - Dipak K Sarkar
- Endocrinology Program, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
- Molecular Neuroscience of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Research Training, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
- Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA
- Rutgers Endocrinology Program, Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey, USA
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Alcohol as an early life stressor: Epigenetics, metabolic, neuroendocrine and neurobehavioral implications. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 118:654-668. [PMID: 32976915 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2020] [Revised: 05/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Ethanol exposure during gestation is an early life stressor that profoundly dysregulates structure and functions of the embryonal nervous system, altering the cognitive and behavioral development. Such dysregulation is also achieved by epigenetic mechanisms, which, altering the chromatin structure, redraw the entire pattern of gene expression. In parallel, an oxidative stress response at the cellular level and a global upregulation of neuroendocrine stress response, regulated by the HPA axis, exist and persist in adulthood. This neurobehavioral framework matches those observed in other psychiatric diseases such as mood diseases, depression, autism; those early life stressing events, although probably triggered by specific and different epigenetic mechanisms, give rise to largely overlapping neurobehavioral phenotypes. An early diagnosis of prenatal alcohol exposure, using reliable markers of ethanol intake, together with a deeper understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms, some of them reversible by their nature, can offer a temporal "window" of intervention. Supplementing a mother's diet with protective and antioxidant substances in addition to supportive psychological therapies can protect newborns from being affected.
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Sarkar DK, Gangisetty O, Wozniak JR, Eckerle JK, Georgieff MK, Foroud TM, Wetherill L, Wertelecki W, Chambers CD, Riley E, Zymak-Zakutnya N, Yevtushok L. Persistent Changes in Stress-Regulatory Genes in Pregnant Women or Children Exposed Prenatally to Alcohol. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2019; 43:1887-1897. [PMID: 31329297 PMCID: PMC6722014 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND We have recently shown that binge or heavy levels of alcohol drinking increase deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation and reduce gene expression of proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and period 2 (PER2) in adult human subjects (Gangisetty et al., Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 43, 2019, 212). One hypothesis would be that methylation of these 2 genes is consistently associated with alcohol exposure and could be used as biomarkers to predict risk of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Results of the present study provided some support for this hypothesis. METHODS We conducted a series of studies to determine DNA methylation changes in stress regulatory genes proopiomelanocortin (POMC) and period 2 (PER2) using biological samples from 3 separate cohorts of patients: (i) pregnant women who consumed moderate-to-high levels of alcohol or low/unexposed controls, (ii) children with PAE and non-alcohol-exposed controls, and (iii) children with PAE treated with or without choline. RESULTS We found pregnant women who consumed moderate-to-high levels of alcohol and gave birth to PAE children had higher DNA methylation of POMC and PER2. PAE children also had increased methylation of POMC and PER2. The differences in the gene methylation of PER2 and POMC between PAE and controls did not differ by maternal smoking status. PAE children had increased levels of stress hormone cortisol and adrenocorticotropic hormone. Choline supplementation reduced DNA hypermethylation and increased expression of POMC and PER2 in children with PAE. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that PAE significantly elevates DNA methylation of POMC and PER2 and increases levels of stress hormones. Furthermore, these results suggest the possibility that measuring DNA methylation levels of PER2 and POMC in biological samples from pregnant women or from children may be useful for identification of a woman or a child with PAE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dipak K. Sarkar
- Rutgers Endocrine Research Program. Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers University, 67 Poultry Farm Lane, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Omkaram Gangisetty
- Rutgers Endocrine Research Program. Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers University, 67 Poultry Farm Lane, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
| | - Jeffrey R. Wozniak
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota Twin Cities, F282/2A West, 2450 Riverside Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55454, USA
| | - Judith K. Eckerle
- Department Pediatrics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA
| | - Michael K. Georgieff
- Division of Pediatric Neonatology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA
| | - Tatiana M Foroud
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, 46202, USA
| | - Leah Wetherill
- Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, 46202, USA
| | - Wladimir Wertelecki
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92054, USA
| | - Christina D. Chambers
- Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92054, USA
| | - Edward Riley
- Department of Psychology, Center for Behavioral Teratology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, 92120, USA
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Hanlon-Dearman A, Chen ML, Olson HC. Understanding and managing sleep disruption in children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Biochem Cell Biol 2017; 96:267-274. [PMID: 28977761 DOI: 10.1139/bcb-2017-0064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Accumulating evidence has revealed high rates of sleep disruption among children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Multiple animal and clinical studies have found a clear association between sleep problems and prenatal alcohol exposure, and recent research is beginning to characterize the types and extent of sleep disruption in FASD. Nevertheless, sleep disruption in children with FASD often goes unrecognized or is treated without referring to an evidence base. Children's disrupted sleep interferes with parental sleep and increases caregiver burden, which is of particular importance for families raising children with FASD, a group with very high levels of caregiving stress. The literature supporting an association between sleep problems and deficits in emotional, behavioral, and cognitive function in children is compelling, but needs further investigation in children with FASD. This paper will review the current state of knowledge on sleep in FASD and recommend a rational approach to sleep interventions for affected children and their families.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Hanlon-Dearman
- a Pediatrics and Child Health, College of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2, Canada.,b Manitoba FASD Centre, Winnipeg, MB R3E 3G1, Canada
| | - Maida Lynn Chen
- c Department of Pediatrics, Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Division, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Heather Carmichael Olson
- d Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.,e Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
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Bekdash R, Zhang C, Sarkar D. Fetal alcohol programming of hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin system by epigenetic mechanisms and later life vulnerability to stress. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2014; 38:2323-30. [PMID: 25069392 DOI: 10.1111/acer.12497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2014] [Accepted: 05/24/2014] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Hypothalamic proopiomelanocortin (POMC) neurons, one of the major regulators of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, immune functions, and energy homeostasis, are vulnerable to the adverse effects of fetal alcohol exposure (FAE). These effects are manifested in POMC neurons by a decrease in Pomc gene expression, a decrement in the levels of its derived peptide β-endorphin and a dysregulation of the stress response in the adult offspring. The HPA axis is a major neuroendocrine system with pivotal physiological functions and mode of regulation. This system has been shown to be perturbed by prenatal alcohol exposure. It has been demonstrated that the perturbation of the HPA axis by FAE is long-lasting and is linked to molecular, neurophysiological, and behavioral changes in exposed individuals. Recently, we showed that the dysregulation of the POMC system function by FAE is induced by epigenetic mechanisms such as hypermethylation of Pomc gene promoter and an alteration in histone marks in POMC neurons. This developmental programming of the POMC system by FAE altered the transcriptome in POMC neurons and induced a hyperresponse to stress in adulthood. These long-lasting epigenetic changes influenced subsequent generations via the male germline. We also demonstrated that the epigenetic programming of the POMC system by FAE was reversed in adulthood with the application of the inhibitors of DNA methylation or histone modifications. Thus, prenatal environmental influences, such as alcohol exposure, could epigenetically modulate POMC neuronal circuits and function to shape adult behavioral patterns. Identifying specific epigenetic factors in hypothalamic POMC neurons that are modulated by fetal alcohol and target Pomc gene could be potentially useful for the development of new therapeutic approaches to treat stress-related diseases in patients with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rola Bekdash
- Endocrinology Program, Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey; Neuroscience Graduate Program, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, New Jersey
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