Prenatal diesel exhaust exposure disrupt the DNA methylation profile and the function of neural stem cells in the brain of mouse

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24510085
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Risk sciences of radiation/Chemicals
• Research Institution: Nihon Pharmaceutical University (2014); Tokyo University of Science (2012-2013)
• Principal Investigator: TACHIBANA Ken 日本薬科大学, 薬学部, 講師 (10400540)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): YANAGITA Shinya 東京理科大学, 理工学部, 講師 (80471755)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: トキシコロジー / DNAメチル化 / 環境 / 衛生 / エピジェネティクス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In the present study, we analyzed the effect of prenatal diesel exhaust (DE) exposure on the DNA methylation of neural stem cells (NSCs). Furthermore, we also analyzed the relationship between altered DNA methylation profile and the function of NSCs.
Pregnant mice were exposed to DE and NSCs were obtained from brains which collected from 1-day-old offspring. Genome-wide DNA methylation profile of NSCs was disrupted by prenatal DE exposure. In addition, altered expression of mRNAs which are related to neural differentiation or maintenance of stem cell phenotype was detected. The mRNA expression levels of neural differentiation markers in the NSCs were decreased by prenatal DE exposure.
These results suggested that disrupted DNA methylation induced by prenatal DE exposure altered the expression level of mRNA which related to differentiation of neural cells. Furthermore, altered expression of mRNA was associated with deregulation of neural differentiation during development period.

Free Research Field

環境衛生薬学、分子細胞生物学