» Articles » PMID: 33981329

DNA Methylation and Expression Profiles of Whole Blood in Parkinson's Disease

Overview
Journal Front Genet
Date 2021 May 13
PMID 33981329
Citations 28
Authors
Affiliations
Soon will be listed here.
Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common age-related neurodegenerative disease. It is presently only accurately diagnosed at an advanced stage by a series of motor deficits, which are predated by a litany of non-motor symptoms manifesting over years or decades. Aberrant epigenetic modifications exist across a range of diseases and are non-invasively detectable in blood as potential markers of disease. We performed comparative analyses of the methylome and transcriptome in blood from PD patients and matched controls. Our aim was to characterize DNA methylation and gene expression patterns in whole blood from PD patients as a foundational step toward the future goal of identifying molecular markers that could predict, accurately diagnose, or track the progression of PD. We found that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were involved in the processes of transcription and mitochondrial function and that PD methylation profiles were readily distinguishable from healthy controls, even in whole-blood DNA samples. Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were functionally varied, including near transcription factor nuclear transcription factor Y subunit alpha (), receptor tyrosine kinase , RING finger ubiquitin ligase (), acetyltransferase , and vault RNA . Expression quantitative trait methylation sites were found at long non-coding RNA and transcription regulator among others. Functional epigenetic modules were highlighted by , , and . We identified patterns of altered disease-specific DNA methylation and associated gene expression in whole blood. Our combined analyses extended what we learned from the DEG or DMR results alone. These studies provide a foundation to support the characterization of larger sample cohorts, with the goal of building a thorough, accurate, and non-invasive molecular PD biomarker.

Citing Articles

Epigenetic regulation of iron metabolism and ferroptosis in Parkinson's disease: Identifying novel epigenetic targets.

Gao X, Ding J, Xie J, Xu H Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2025; .

PMID: 40069488 DOI: 10.1038/s41401-025-01499-6.


Epigenetic Biomarkers Driven by Environmental Toxins Associated with Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis in the United States: A Systematic Review.

Newell M, Aravindan A, Babbrah A, Halden R Toxics. 2025; 13(2).

PMID: 39997929 PMC: 11860158. DOI: 10.3390/toxics13020114.


Dual disease co-expression analysis reveals potential roles of estrogen-related genes in postmenopausal osteoporosis and Parkinson's disease.

Yu D, Kang J, Ju C, Wang Q, Qiao Y, Qiao L Front Genet. 2025; 15():1518471.

PMID: 39840278 PMC: 11747517. DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2024.1518471.


Tryptophan metabolism-related gene CYP1B1 serves as a shared biomarker for both Parkinson's disease and insomnia.

Li X, Yu W, Wu J, He W, Cheng Y, Gao K Sci Rep. 2025; 15(1):1362.

PMID: 39779759 PMC: 11711247. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-84362-8.


Whole genome methylation sequencing in blood from persons with mild cognitive impairment and dementia due to Alzheimer's disease identifies cognitive status.

Madrid A, Papale L, Bergmann P, Breen C, Clark L, Asthana S Alzheimers Dement. 2025; 21(2):e14474.

PMID: 39743828 PMC: 11848161. DOI: 10.1002/alz.14474.


References
1.
Coupland K, Mellick G, Silburn P, Mather K, Armstrong N, Sachdev P . DNA methylation of the MAPT gene in Parkinson's disease cohorts and modulation by vitamin E in vitro. Mov Disord. 2013; 29(13):1606-14. PMC: 4074263. DOI: 10.1002/mds.25784. View

2.
Voss C, Andersen J, Jakobsen E, Siamka O, Karaca M, Maechler P . AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) regulates astrocyte oxidative metabolism by balancing TCA cycle dynamics. Glia. 2020; 68(9):1824-1839. DOI: 10.1002/glia.23808. View

3.
Vinkers C, Geuze E, van Rooij S, Kennis M, Schur R, Nispeling D . Successful treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder reverses DNA methylation marks. Mol Psychiatry. 2019; 26(4):1264-1271. DOI: 10.1038/s41380-019-0549-3. View

4.
Shen Y, Tong Z, Zhou Y, Sun Y, Xie Y, Li R . Inhibition of lncRNA-PAX8-AS1-N directly associated with VEGF/TGF-β1/8-OhdG enhances podocyte apoptosis in diabetic nephropathy. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci. 2020; 24(12):6864-6872. DOI: 10.26355/eurrev_202006_21676. View

5.
Machado V, Zoller T, Attaai A, Spittau B . Microglia-Mediated Neuroinflammation and Neurotrophic Factor-Induced Protection in the MPTP Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease-Lessons from Transgenic Mice. Int J Mol Sci. 2016; 17(2). PMC: 4783885. DOI: 10.3390/ijms17020151. View