Placental RNA sequencing for studies of gestational exposure to perfluorohexane sulfonate

Perfluorohexyl sulfonate (PFHxS) as one of the highly frequently detected per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in most populations including during pregnancy, a period critical for early life development. Despite epidemiological evidence, the developmental toxicity particularly at realistic exposure dose remain unknown. We evaluated the effect of gestational exposure to human relevant body burden of PFHxS (order of magnitude lower than PFOS or PFOA previously reported) on fetal and placental development and explored mechanisms of action combining alternative splicing (AS) and gene expression (GE) analyses.