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Emma Whitelaw
Professor of Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Australia

Abstract:

It is well recognised that there is a surprising degree of phenotypic variation among genetically identical individuals even when the environmental influences, in the strict sense of the word, are controlled. Genetic textbooks acknowledge this fact and refer to it as "intangible variation" or "developmental noise". We suggest that this intangible variation results from the stochastic establishment of epigenetic modifications to the DNA nucleotide sequence in early development. These modifications, which involve DNA methylation and chromatin remodelling, result in alterations in gene expression, which, in turn, affect the phenotype of the organism. Work from a number of labs suggests that the establishment of these epigenetic states can be influenced by the environment raising the possibility that they are involved in the developmental origins of some disease states. We have recently shown that the consumption of 10% ethanol during the first half of gestation in the mouse alters the DNA methylation levels at a gene that is particularly sensitive to epigenetic state. This study has led to the development of a mouse model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and our results will be discussed.

Funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia and the Australian Research Council.