The purpose of this proposal is to study the effects of prenatal alcohol exposure on subpopulations of stem cell antigen expressing neural progenitors in the developing cerebral cortex. Despite efforts to educate women about the dangers of drinking during pregnancy, each year children still suffer the consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure. One explanation for the pleiotrophic nature of these consequences is that alcohol may adversely affect subpopulations of neural progenitors, altering important characteristics of precursors that will later populate different brain regions. In particular, this proposal will assess the texten to which alcohol may alter cell fate heterogeneity of subpopulations of cortical precursors. This goal will be addressed in two specific aims using a mouse model system, with both in vitro and in vivo methods of alcohol administration.
Specific Aim #1 will determine the extent to which alcohol affects the proliferation and differentiation of a subset of neural precursors during neurogenesis.
Specific Aim #2 will assess the extent to which alcohol alters Notch-dependent proneural protein expression in a subpopulatiori of cortical progenitors. This proposal will provide vital information regarding the effects of alcohol on neural progenitors.
| Prock, Terasa L; Miranda, Rajesh C (2007) Embryonic cerebral cortical progenitors are resistant to apoptosis, but increase expression of suicide receptor DISC-complex genes and suppress autophagy following ethanol exposure. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 31:694-703 |
