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. 2021 Jul;41(7):1021-1037.
doi: 10.1002/jat.4089. Epub 2020 Nov 4.

Identification of gene targets of developmental neurotoxicity focusing on DNA hypermethylation involved in irreversible disruption of hippocampal neurogenesis in rats

Satomi Kikuchi  1   2 , Yasunori Takahashi  1   2 , Ryota Ojiro  1   2 , Kazumi Takashima  1   2 , Hiromu Okano  1   2 , Qian Tang  1   2 , Gye-Hyeong Woo  3 , Toshinori Yoshida  1   2 , Makoto Shibutani  1   2   4
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Identification of gene targets of developmental neurotoxicity focusing on DNA hypermethylation involved in irreversible disruption of hippocampal neurogenesis in rats

Satomi Kikuchi et al. J Appl Toxicol. 2021 Jul.

Abstract

We have previously found that maternal exposure to 6-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU), valproic acid (VPA), or glycidol (GLY) has a sustained or late effect on hippocampal neurogenesis at the adult stage in rat offspring. Herein, we searched for genes with hypermethylated promoter region and downregulated transcript level to reveal irreversible markers of developmental neurotoxicity. The hippocampal dentate gyrus of male rat offspring exposed maternally to PTU, VPA, or GLY was subjected to Methyl-Seq and RNA-Seq analyses on postnatal day (PND) 21. Among the genes identified, 170 were selected for further validation analysis of gene expression on PND 21 and PND 77 by real-time reverse transcription-PCR. PTU and GLY downregulated many genes on PND 21, reflecting diverse effects on neurogenesis. Furthermore, genes showing sustained downregulation were found after PTU or VPA exposure, reflecting a sustained or late effect on neurogenesis by these compounds. In contrast, such genes were not observed with GLY, probably because of the reversible nature of the effects. Among the genes showing sustained downregulation, Creb, Arc, and Hes5 were concurrently downregulated by PTU, suggesting an association with neuronal mismigration, suppressed synaptic plasticity, and reduction in neural stem and progenitor cells. Epha7 and Pvalb were also concurrently downregulated by PTU, suggesting an association with the reduction in late-stage progenitor cells. VPA induced sustained downregulation of Vgf and Dpysl4, which may be related to the aberrations in synaptic plasticity. The genes showing sustained downregulation may be irreversible markers of developmental neurotoxicity.

Keywords: 6-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU); developmental neurotoxicity (DNT); gene expression; glycidol (GLY); hippocampal neurogenesis; methylation; rat; valproic acid (VPA).

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Conflict of interest statement

All authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest that influenced the outcome of the present study.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Venn diagram denoting the number of genes showing promotor‐region hypermethylation and transcript downregulation by means of Methyl‐Seq and RNA‐Seq analyses on PND 21. (A) Total number of genes obtained. (B) Number of nervous system‐related genes selected by functional annotation
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