Gene-environmental interaction in early morphogenesis of the brain and developmental anomalies due to its disturbance

Sonic hedgehog （Shh）是发育中的大脑中的一个腹化因子。在这项研究中，我们发现Shh参与了大脑皮层的形成和模式以及眼睛腹侧部分的形态发生。乙醇暴露在早期发育可导致前脑全裂畸形（HPE），这是一种前脑发育异常。我们使用乙醇诱导的小鼠HPE模型，发现乙醇激活脊索前中胚层的蛋白激酶C，从而损害胚胎中Shh的表达并诱导HPE畸形。

Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is a ventralizing factor in the developing brain. In this study, we showed that Shh is involved in the formation and patterning of the cerebral cortex and the morphogenesis of the ventral part of the eye. Ethanol exposure in early development can result in holoprosencephaly (HPE), which is a developmental anomaly of the forebrain. We used a mouse model of ethanol-induced HPE, and revealed that ethanol activates protein kinase C in the prechordal mesendoderm, thereby impairs the expression of Shh in the embryo and induces HPE malformations.