In the current study, we used an established dorsal root ganglial neural stem cells, in which multipotency and a differential phenotype profile has been characterized (Singh et al., 2009a). Epigenetic changes at the cellular level have also been demonstrated in this model system (Singh et al., 2009a). By using MeDIP-chip (anti-5-methylcytidine antibody immunoprecipitation followed by microarray analysis) a prominent effect of alcohol on DNA methylation profiles in neural stem cells was discovered. We report here that the normal DNA methylation program during differentiation is disrupted by alcohol, including those genes mediating early embryonic development.
