Cited by 165Epigenetics and DNA MethylationGenomics and Chromatin DynamicsGenetic Associations and Epidemiology

Neuronal brain-region-specific DNA methylation and chromatin accessibility are associated with neuropsychiatric trait heritability

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Rizzardi, Lindsay F., Hickey, Peter F., Rodriguez DiBlasi, Varenka, Tryggvadóttir, Rakel, Callahan, Colin M., Idrizi, Adrian, Hansen, Kasper D., Feinberg, Andrew P.·2019·Nature Neuroscience

Abstract

Epigenetic modifications confer stable transcriptional patterns in the brain, and both normal and abnormal brain function involve specialized brain regions. We examined DNA methylation by whole-genome bisulfite sequencing in neuronal and non-neuronal populations from four brain regions (anterior cingulate gyrus, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and nucleus accumbens) as well as chromatin accessibility in the latter two. We find pronounced differences in both CpG and non-CpG methylation (CG-DMRs and CH-DMRs) only in neuronal cells across brain regions. Neuronal CH-DMRs were highly associated with differential gene expression, whereas CG-DMRs were consistent with chromatin accessibility and enriched for regulatory regions. These CG-DMRs comprise ~12 Mb of the genome that is highly enriched for genomic regions associated with heritability of neuropsychiatric traits including addictive behavior, schizophrenia, and neuroticism, thus suggesting a mechanistic link between pathology and differential neuron-specific epigenetic regulation in distinct brain regions.

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  • DNA methylation can also enhance gene expression through more complicated mechanisms such as methylation of CTCF binding sites and/or intronic regions.

    “However, DNA methylation also enhances gene expression through more complicated mechanisms such as the methylation of CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) binding sites and/or intronic regions (45–49).”

    From Epigenetic Modifications in Stress Response Genes Associated With Childhood Trauma (2019) · cites this paper as [49]

    The Results section on differential mCH reports an inverse relationship between global genic methylation and neuronal gene expression, but that does not rule out the specific exceptions claimed here. Searches of our copy for CTCF binding sites and intronic methylation found no passage saying that methylation at either site enhances expression; page numbers are unavailable. (LLM, conf=0.76)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Authors
Rizzardi, L. F., Hickey, P. F., Rodriguez DiBlasi, V., Tryggvadóttir, R., Callahan, C. M., Idrizi, A., Hansen, K. D., & Feinberg, A. P.
Affiliations
Johns Hopkins University (US)
Corresponding author
  • Hansen, Kasper D.
  • Feinberg, Andrew P.
Venue
Nature Neuroscience
Published
2019-01-14
Volume
22
Issue
2
Pages
307-316
ISSN
  • 1097-6256 (ISSN-L)
  • 1546-1726
OpenAlex
W2951502983
Cited by
146
References
82
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 31 · 2019: 12 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 1
FWCI
8.85
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature Neuroscience (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (1s10od016315-01)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (U01MH104393)
  • National Cancer Institute (U24CA180996)
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (P30AI094189)
  • Division of Materials Research
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic Associations and Epidemiology
Keywords
DNA methylation, chromatin accessibility, neuropsychiatric traits, heritability, non-CpG methylation, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, anterior cingulate cortex, schizophrenia, addictive behavior, neuroticism, differential gene expression, regulatory elements, DNA variants
MeSH terms
Neuroticism, Brain, Chromatin, Humans, Neurons, Schizophrenia, Genome, Behavior, Addictive, CpG Islands, DNA Methylation, Epigenesis, Genetic

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