Abstract
It has been widely accepted that deficits in neuronal plasticity underlie the cognitive abnormalities observed in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Exposure of rodents to acute ethanol on postnatal day 7 (P7), which is equivalent to the third trimester of fetal development in human, induces long-term potentiation (LTP) and memory deficits in adult animals. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these deficits are not well understood. Recently, we found that histone H3 dimethylation (H3K9me2), which is mediated by G9a (lysine dimethyltransferase), is responsible for the neurodegeneration caused by ethanol exposure in P7 mice. In addition, pharmacological inhibition of G9a prior to ethanol treatment at P7 normalized H3K9me2 proteins to basal levels and prevented neurodegeneration in neonatal mice. Here, we tested the hypothesis that pre-administration of G9a/GLP inhibitor (Bix-01294, Bix) in conditions in which ethanol induces neurodegeneration would be neuroprotective against P7 ethanol-induced deficits in LTP, memory and social recognition behavior in adult mice. Ethanol treatment at P7 induces deficits in LTP, memory and social recognition in adult mice and these deficits were prevented by Bix pretreatment at P7. Together, these findings provide physiological and behavioral evidence that the long-term harmful consequences on brain function after ethanol exposure with a third trimester equivalent have an epigenetic origin.