Detail information
ID ENOM00124
Accession GSE167500
Status Public on May 20, 2021
Title General Anesthetics Induce Epigenetic Alterations in Germ Cells that Result in Autism-like Behaviors
Organism Mus musculus
Experiment type Genome binding/occupancy profiling by high throughput sequencing
Summary
One in 54 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, no one genetic mutation can fully explain the neuropathogenesis of ASD. Given the highly heritable nature of ASD, epigenetic alterations may be the missing link in understanding ASD. Human and animal studies have shown that exposure of the developing brain to anesthetic agents can trigger neurodegeneration and neurobehavioral abnormalities but the effect of general anesthetics on the germ line have not been explored in detail. The gametes carry inherited epigenetic information and they are extremely vulnerable to environmental factors when they undergo epigenetic reprogramming in utero. To understand the inheritable impact of general anesthetics, we exposed pregnant mice to sevoflurane when the germ cells of the embryo undergo epigenetic reprogramming and examined the exposed males and their offspring. We found that 30-40% of the F2 and F3 animals, which were not directly exposed to sevoflurane, exhibit ASD-like behaviors. We performed ATAC-seq in the sperm of F1 animals that give rise to the autistic F2 animals and in sperm of the autistic F2 animals, and found more than 2,000 differential accessible sites. Some of these sites are maintained in the sperm of F2 and F3 animals and are located in the regulatory regions of ASD-associated genes, including Cacna1e and Arid1b. These observations suggest that epimutations caused by exposing germ cells to general anesthetics can lead to ASD in the offspring, and this effect can be transmitted through the male germline inter and trans-generationally.
Samples
GSM ID Sample info Characteristics Description
GSM5106390 ATAC_Sperm_control_rep1 strain: CD1 cell type: Sperm condition: control replicate: 1
GSM5106391 ATAC_Sperm_control_rep2 strain: CD1 cell type: Sperm condition: control replicate: 2
GSM5106392 ATAC_Sperm_Sevo_1d_F1_rep1 strain: CD1 cell type: Sperm condition: Sevo_1d_F1 replicate: 1
GSM5106393 ATAC_Sperm_Sevo_1d_F1_rep2 strain: CD1 cell type: Sperm condition: Sevo_1d_F1 replicate: 2
GSM5106394 ATAC_Sperm_Sevo_7d_F1_rep1 strain: CD1 cell type: Sperm condition: Sevo_7d_F1 replicate: 1
GSM5106395 ATAC_Sperm_Sevo_7d_F1_rep2 strain: CD1 cell type: Sperm condition: Sevo_7d_F1 replicate: 2
GSM5106396 ATAC_Sperm_Sevo_7d_F2_rep1 strain: CD1 cell type: Sperm condition: Sevo_7d_F2 replicate: 1
GSM5106397 ATAC_Sperm_Sevo_7d_F2_rep2 strain: CD1 cell type: Sperm condition: Sevo_7d_F2 replicate: 2
Platform GPL24247: Illumina NovaSeq 6000 (Mus musculus)
Indicator
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