Nonprotein-coding RNAs in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

Early developmental exposure to ethanol, a known teratogen, can result in a range of neurodevelopmental disorders, collectively referred to as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs). Changes in the environment, including exposure to teratogens, can result in long term alterations to the epigenetic landscape of a cell, thereby altering gene expression. Noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs) can affect transcription and translation of networks of genes. ncRNAs are dynamically expressed during development and have been identified as a target of alcohol. ncRNAs therefore make for attractive targets for novel therapeutics to address the developmental deficits associated with FASDs.