Vishweswaraiah Sangeetha, Saiyed Nazia, Khalid Abdullah, Milčiūtė Milda, Gabrielaite Migle, Buyuker Ceyda, Aksakal Boran, Gomes Lorena, Gordevicius Juozas, Yilmaz Ali, Graham Stewart F
Corewell Health Beaumont Research Institute, 3811 West 13 Mile Road, Royal Oak, MI, 48073, USA.
Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester, MI, 48309, USA.
Mol Neurobiol. 2025 Jun 24. doi: 10.1007/s12035-025-05119-6.
Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) is a common form of dementia that results from vascular damage to the brain, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Epigenetic modifications, particularly DNA methylation, have been implicated in various neurodegenerative diseases, including VCI; however, the details of this association are lacking. This study analyzed Brodmann area 7 tissue samples from 19 individuals with VCI and 21 control subjects. DNA methylation profiles were analyzed using the Illumina EPIC array V2. Integrative bioinformatics approaches, including differentially methylated CpGs (DMCs), differentially methylated regions (DMRs), and gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA), were employed to identify dysregulated pathways associated with VCI. A sex-specific analysis was performed to explore potential differences in methylation patterns between males and females. The analysis revealed significant differential methylation across 3601 CpG sites, with a predominant pattern of hypermethylation (82%) observed in the VCI group. Notably, hypermethylation was detected in key genes related to neurodegeneration and vascular health, such as MTCH2, DPRX, and DENND4A. GSEA identified critical pathways related to neuronal function and vascular health. In sex-specific pathway analysis, vascular regulatory mechanisms were enriched in males and synaptic plasticity together with neuronal development in females. DMRs linked to RAB12 highlighted the role of lysosomal dysfunction in both cognitive and vascular deterioration. Our findings provide novel insights into the epigenetic landscape of VCI, revealing hypermethylation of genes involved in both neuronal and vascular health. The identification of sex-specific differences in epigenetic patterns underscores the need for tailored therapeutic strategies. These results offer potential biomarkers for early diagnosis and new avenues for therapeutic intervention targeting both vascular and neuronal components of VCI.
血管性认知障碍(VCI)是一种常见的痴呆形式,由大脑血管损伤引起,但其潜在的分子机制仍知之甚少。表观遗传修饰,尤其是DNA甲基化,已被认为与包括VCI在内的各种神经退行性疾病有关;然而,这种关联的细节尚不清楚。本研究分析了19名VCI患者和21名对照受试者的布罗德曼7区组织样本。使用Illumina EPIC阵列V2分析DNA甲基化谱。采用综合生物信息学方法,包括差异甲基化CpG(DMC)、差异甲基化区域(DMR)和基因集富集分析(GSEA),以识别与VCI相关的失调通路。进行了性别特异性分析,以探索男性和女性甲基化模式的潜在差异。分析显示,在3601个CpG位点上存在显著的差异甲基化,VCI组中观察到的主要模式是高甲基化(82%)。值得注意的是,在与神经退行性变和血管健康相关的关键基因中检测到高甲基化,如MTCH2、DPRX和DENND4A。GSEA确定了与神经元功能和血管健康相关的关键通路。在性别特异性通路分析中,血管调节机制在男性中富集,而在女性中,突触可塑性与神经元发育一起富集。与RAB12相关的DMR突出了溶酶体功能障碍在认知和血管恶化中的作用。我们的研究结果为VCI的表观遗传景观提供了新的见解,揭示了参与神经元和血管健康的基因的高甲基化。表观遗传模式中性别特异性差异的识别强调了定制治疗策略的必要性。这些结果为早期诊断提供了潜在的生物标志物,并为针对VCI的血管和神经元成分的治疗干预提供了新途径。
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