Elevated 5hmC levels characterize DNA of the cerebellum in Parkinson’s disease

St�ger, Reinhard; Scaife, Paula; Shephard, Freya; Chakrabarti, Lisa

Abstract

5-methylcytosine and the oxidation product 5-hydroxymethylcytosine are two prominent epigenetic variants of the cytosine base in nuclear DNA of mammalian brains. We measured levels of 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in DNA from post-mortem cerebella of individuals with Parkinson’s disease and age-matched controls. 5-methylcytosine levels showed no significant differences between Parkinson’s disease and control DNA sample sets. In contrast, median 5-hydroxymethylcytosine levels were almost twice as high (p < 0.001) in both male and female Parkinson’s disease individuals compared with controls. The distinct epigenetic profile identified in cerebellar DNA of Parkinson’s disease patients raises the question whether elevated 5-hydroxymethylcytosine levels are a driver or a consequence of Parkinson’s disease.

Citation

Stöger, R., Scaife, P., Shephard, F., & Chakrabarti, L. (in press). Elevated 5hmC levels characterize DNA of the cerebellum in Parkinson’s disease. npj Parkinson's Disease, 3(6), https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-017-0007-3

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Dec 12, 2016
• Online Publication Date: Feb 1, 2017
• Deposit Date: Feb 2, 2017
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 2, 2017
• Journal: npj Parkinson's Disease
• Electronic ISSN: 2373-8057
• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 6
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41531-017-0007-3
• Keywords: DNA, epigenetics, Parkinson's disease
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/837668
• Publisher URL: http://www.nature.com/articles/s41531-017-0007-3
• Contract Date: Feb 2, 2017