Altered Genome-Wide Hippocampal Gene Expression Profiles Following Early Life Lead Exposure and their Potential for Reversal by Environmental Enrichment

Developmental lead (Pb) exposure results in persistent cognitive/behavioral impairments as well as an elevated risk for developing a variety of diseases in later life. The quality of the environment can modify negative influences from Pb exposure. How the interaction between Pb and quality of the environment influences gene expression pattern in the brain affecting the development treajectory is unexplored. We used RNA-seq to examine how the interaction between developmental Pb exposure and living in an enriched versus a non-enriched environment affects genome-wide gene expression pattern in Hippocampus (HIPP) CA1.发育性铅（Pb）暴露可导致持续性的认知与行为损伤，同时提升个体晚年罹患多种疾病的风险。环境质量能够调控铅暴露所产生的负面影响。目前学界尚未探究铅暴露与环境质量的交互作用如何影响大脑内基因表达模式，进而改变个体发育轨迹。本研究采用RNA测序（RNA-seq）技术，分析发育性铅暴露与处于丰富环境（enriched environment）、非丰富环境的两种条件间的交互作用，对海马体（Hippocampus, HIPP）CA1区的全基因组基因表达模式的影响。