Distinct epigenetic modulation of differentially expressed genes in the adult mouse brain following prenatal exposure to low-dose bisphenol A

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Abstract Bisphenol A (BPA) is a common component in the manufacture of daily plastic consumer goods. Recent studies have suggested that prenatal exposure to BPA can increase the susceptibility of offspring to mental illness, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we performed transcriptomic and epigenomic profiling in the adult mouse brain following prenatal exposure to low-dose BPA. We observed a sex-specific transcriptional dysregulation in the cortex, with more significant differentially expressed genes was observed in adult cortex from male offspring. Moreover, the upregulated genes primarily influenced neuronal functions, while the downregulated genes were significantly associated with energy metabolism pathways. More evidence supporting impaired mitochondrial function included a decreased ATP level and a reduced number of mitochondria in the cortical neuron of the BPA group. We further investigated the higher-order chromatin regulatory patterns of DEGs by incorporating published Hi-C data. Interestingly, we found that upregulated genes exhibited more distal interactions with multiple enhancers, while downregulated genes displayed relatively short-range interactions among adjacent genes. Our data further revealed decreased H3K9me3 signal on the distal enhancers of upregulated genes, whereas increased DNA methylation and H3K27me3 signals on the promoters of downregulated genes. In summary, our study provides compelling evidence for the potential health risks associated with prenatal exposure to BPA, and uncovers sex-specific transcriptional changes with a complex interplay of multiple epigenetic mechanisms. Graphical abstract 1. Distinct chromatin interaction pattern of DEGs in the cortex of adult male offspring in response to prenatal BPA exposure. 2. Upregulated genes exhibited intensive and long-range chromatin interactions, with decreased H3K9me3 modification on the distal enhancers. 3. Downregulated genes were featured by promoter-promoter interactions among adjacent genes and increased DNA methylation and H3K27me3 modification at the promoter regions.

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