Dnmt1 and Dnmt3a results in hypomethylation of neuronal DNA resulting in loss of synaptic function (Feng et al., 2010). While we did observe an increase in Sox3 and Ndn expression (an imprinted gene requiring hypermethylation on one allele), other epigenetic or transcription factors may play a role in mediating the effects of PAE, as mRNA expression of other genes is decreased in both culture conditions. However, decreased expression of DNMT1 and DNMT3a after prenatal alcohol exposure has been demonstrated at postnatal day 21 (PD21), suggesting that this effect is persistent (Perkins, Lehmann, Lawrence, & Kelly, 2013). Studies that have investigated the effect of alcohol on DNA methylation indicate that alcohol impairs normal DNA methylation programming particularly in progenitor cells leading to decreased growth and development (Chen, Ozturk, & Zhou, 2013; Zhou, 2012).
