Effects of Ethanol on Mouse Embryonic Stem CellsAlcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research Early View 17 Sep 2009
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) reflects a constellation of congenital abnormalities caused by excess maternal consumption of alcohol. It is likely that interference with embryonic development plays a role in the pathogenesis of the disorder. Ethanol-induced apoptosis has been suggested as a causal factor in the genesis of FAS. Mouse embryonic stem (mES) cells are pluripotent cells that differentiate in vitro to cell aggregates termed embryoid bodies (EBs), wherein differentiation capacity and gene expression profile are similar to those of the early embryo.
Our findings suggest that ethanol may contribute to the pathogenesis of FAS by triggering apoptotic pathways during differentiation of embryonic stem cells and deregulating early stages of embryogenesis.
Request Reprint E-Mail: emanuel.rubin@jefferson.edu
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