Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
2005-2-14
pubmed:abstractText
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a set of developmental malformations caused by alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), the strongest manifestation of FASD, results in short stature, microcephally and facial dysmorphogenesis including microphthalmia. Using Xenopus embryos as a model developmental system, we show that ethanol exposure recapitulates many aspects of FAS, including a shortened rostro-caudal axis, microcephally and microphthalmia. Temporal analysis revealed that Xenopus embryos are most sensitive to ethanol exposure between late blastula and early/mid gastrula stages. This window of sensitivity overlaps with the formation and early function of the embryonic organizer, Spemann's organizer. Molecular analysis revealed that ethanol exposure of embryos induces changes in the domains and levels of organizer-specific gene expression, identifying Spemann's organizer as an early target of ethanol. Ethanol also induces a defect in convergent extension movements that delays gastrulation movements and may affect the overall length. We show that mechanistically, ethanol is antagonistic to retinol (Vitamin A) and retinal conversion to retinoic acid, and that the organizer is active in retinoic acid signaling during early gastrulation. The model suggests that FASD is induced in part by an ethanol-dependent reduction in retinoic acid levels that are necessary for the normal function of Spemann's organizer.
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Mar
pubmed:issn
0012-1606
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:day
1
pubmed:volume
279
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
193-204
pubmed:dateRevised
2006-11-15
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Animals, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Animals, Genetically Modified, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Base Sequence, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Blastula, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-DNA Primers, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Embryo, Nonmammalian, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Ethanol, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Female, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Gastrula, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Genes, Reporter, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Green Fluorescent Proteins, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Humans, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Models, Animal, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Morphogenesis, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Plasmids, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Pregnancy, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Tretinoin, pubmed-meshheading:15708568-Xenopus laevis
pubmed:year
2005
pubmed:articleTitle
Ethanol exposure affects gene expression in the embryonic organizer and reduces retinoic acid levels.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Cellular Biochemistry and Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Hebrew University, POB 12272, Jerusalem 91120, Israel.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't