Epigenome-wide profiling in the dorsal raphe nucleus highlights cell-type-specific changes in TNXB in Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Recent studies have demonstrated that the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) is among the first brain regions affected in Alzheimers disease. Hence, in this study we conducted the first comprehensive epigenetic analysis of the DRN in AD, targeting both bulk tissue and single isolated cells. The Illumina Infinium MethylationEPIC BeadChip array was used to analyze the bulk tissue, assessing differentially modified positions (DMoPs) and regions (DMoRs) associated with Braak stage. The strongest Braak stage-associated DMoR in TNXB was targeted in a second patient cohort utilizing single laser-capture microdissected serotonin-positive (5-HT+) and -negative (5-HT-) cells isolated from the DRN. Our study revealed previously identified epigenetic loci, including TNXB and PGLYRP1, and novel loci, including RBMXL2, CAST, GNAT1, MALAT1, and DNAJB13. Strikingly, we found that the methylation profile of TNXB depends both on disease phenotype and cell type analyzed, emphasizing the significance of single cell(-type) neuroepigenetic studies in AD.