Epigenomic features related to microglia are associated with attenuated effect of APOE ε4 on Alzheimer's disease risk in humans

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONNot all APOE {varepsilon}4 carriers who survive to advanced age develop Alzheimers disease (AD); factors attenuating the risk of {varepsilon}4 on AD may exist. METHODSGuided by the top {varepsilon}4-attenuating signals from methylome-wide association analyses (N=572, {varepsilon}4+ and {varepsilon}4-) of neurofibrillary tangles and neuritic plaques, we conducted a meta-analysis for pathological AD within the {varepsilon}4+ subgroups (N=235) across four independent collections of brains. Cortical RNA-seq and microglial morphology measurements were used in functional analyses. RESULTSThree out of the four significant CpG dinucleotides were captured by one principle component (PC1), which interacts with {varepsilon}4 on AD, and is associated with expression of innate immune genes and activated microglia. In {varepsilon}4 carriers, reduction in each unit of PC1 attenuated the odds of AD by 58% (OR=2.39, 95%CI=[1.64,3.46], P=7.08x10-6). DISCUSSIONAn epigenomic factor associated with a reduced proportion of activated microglia appears to attenuate the risk of {varepsilon}4 on AD.