PUBLICATION

Lasting alterations induced in glial cell phenotypes by short exposure to alcohol during embryonic development in zebrafish

Authors
Chatterjee, D., Mahabir, S., Chatterjee, D., Gerlai, R.
ID
ZDB-PUB-200111-3
Date
2020
Source
Addiction biology   26(1): e12867 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Gerlai, Robert T.
Keywords
: embryonic alcohol exposure, astrocyte, ethanol, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, microglia, oligodendrocyte, zebrafish
MeSH Terms
  • Animals
  • Brain/drug effects
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Embryo, Nonmammalian/drug effects
  • Embryonic Development/drug effects
  • Ethanol/pharmacokinetics*
  • Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders/metabolism
  • Neuroglia/drug effects*
  • Neurons/drug effects
  • Phenotype
  • Zebrafish/embryology*
PubMed
31919968 Full text @ Addict Biol
Abstract
Despite the known teratogenic effects of alcohol (ethanol) on the developing human fetus, the prevalence of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is not decreasing. Appropriate treatment for this life-long disease has not been developed, and even diagnostic biomarkers are unavailable. FASD remains a large unmet medical need. Numerous animal models have been developed to mimic FASD and study potential underlying biological mechanisms. However, most of these models focused on neuronal phenotypes. Given that glial cells represent the majority of cells in the vertebrate brain, and given the increasingly appreciated roles they play in a myriad of neuronal functions as well as CNS disorders, we decided to investigate potential embryonic alcohol exposure induced changes in them. Building upon a previously introduced zebrafish model of milder and most prevalent forms of FASD, we investigated the effect of a 2-hour-long exposure to alcohol (1% vol/vol bath concentration) employed at the 24th hour postfertilization stage of development of zebrafish on a number of glial cell-related phenotypes. We studied oligodendrocyte, astrocyte as well as microglia-related phenotypes using immunohistochemistry, lipid, and enzyme activity analyses. We report significant changes in wide-spread glial cell phenotypes induced by embryonic alcohol exposure in the zebrafish brain and conclude that the zebrafish will advance our understanding of the mechanisms of this devastating disorder.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping