Bioinformatic analysis predicts that ethanol exposure during early development causes alternative splicing alterations of genes involved in RNA post-transcriptional regulation

• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0284357
• Publication Date: 2023-04-13T17:56:02Z
• Authors: Camilo Fuentes-Beals; Montserrat Olivar...; María Estela Andrés; Paola A. Haeger; Gonzalo Riadi; Carlos Oliva; Fernando Faunes
• Keywords: Proteome; KEGG; Candidate gene

Prenatal ethanol exposure is associated with neurodevelopmental defects and long-lasting cognitive deficits, which are grouped as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). The molecular mechanisms underlying FASD incompletely characterized. Alternative splicing, including the insertion of microexons (exons less than 30 nucleotides in length), highly prevalent nervous system. However, whether can have acute or chronic deleterious effects this process poorly understood. In work, we used bioinformatic tools VAST-TOOLS, rMATS, MAJIQ, MicroExonator to predict alternative splicing events affected by from available RNA sequencing data. Experimental protocols included human cortical tissue development, embryoid body differentiation, mouse development. We found common genes predicted differential using distinct different experimental designs. Notably, Gene Ontology KEGG analysis revealed that related processing protein synthesis was commonly schemes. addition, inclusion also ethanol. This provides a reliable list candidate whose during system Furthermore, our results suggest particularly modifies post-transcriptional regulation, probably affects neuronal proteome complexity brain function.