Involvement of seven in absentia homolog-1 in ethanol-induced apoptosis in neural crest cells.

Ethanol-induced apoptosis in selected cell populations is a major component of pathogenesis underlying ethanol-induced teratogenesis. However, there is a fundamental gap in understanding how ethanol leads to apoptosis in embryos. In this study, we investigate the role of seven in absentia homolog-1 (Siah1) protein, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, in ethanol-induced apoptosis. Using an in vitro model of neural crest cell (NCC), JoMa1.3 cells, we found that exposure to 100mM ethanol resulted in a significant increase in Siah1 mRNA expression in NCCs, an ethanol-sensitive cell population implicated in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). Treatment with 100mM ethanol for 24h also significantly increased the protein expression of Siah1 in JoMa1.3 cells. The nuclear translocation and accumulation of Siah1 was evidenced in the cells exposed to ethanol. In addition, we have found that the inhibition of Siah1 function with siRNA prevents ethanol-induced increase in Siah1 protein expression and nuclear translocation in NCCs. Down-regulation of Siah1 by siRNA also greatly diminished ethanol-induced cell death and caspase-3 activation, indicating that inhibition of Siah1 can attenuate ethanol-induced apoptosis. These results strongly suggest that Siah1 plays an important role in ethanol-induced apoptosis in NCCs.