P50 Component 7:Serum MicroRNA Biomarkers of Maternal Alcohol Consumption

(Co-PIs: Perrone-Bizzozero & Bakhireva; Co-Is: Savage & Rayburn) is a translational research project examining the effect of maternal drinking during pregnancy on human serum microRNA expression. Preliminary studies have identified at least two miRNAs that are significantly altered in alcohol-consuming pregnant women. Subjects will be recruited and classified according to Dr. Bakhireva’s screening procedure and blood samples collected at term. Serum microRNA will be analyzed using an Affymetrix GeneChip miRNA 3.0 array and the most promising biomarker candidates will be confirmed by rt-PCR. Subsequently, the impact of co-exposure to methadone or nicotine and the effect of ethanol exposure pattern and dose will be systematically evaluated using the mouse model of PAE. The impact of these manipulations on “ethanol-sensitive” microRNAs will be used to help interpret the miRNA data from the clinical study, where ethanol dose and timing and co-exposures may affect the expression profiles of the panel of candidate miRNA biomarkers.