Epigenetic dysregulation of transposable elements in cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease

Growing evidence implicates transposable elements (TEs) in aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD). To evaluate potential transcriptional and epigenetic differences related to TE expression in this context, we generated whole blood total RNA-seq, and peripheral blood cell whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS), and transposase-accessible chromatin sequencing (ATAC-seq) on samples from healthy middle-aged/older adults, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and AD patients. Total RNA-seq was performed on whole blood from 45 older adults including healthy, asymptomatic middle-aged/older adults (ASM, n = 11), older asymptomatic adults (ASO, n = 14), symptomatic older adults with MCI (n = 10), and older adults with AD dementia (n = 10). WGBS and ATAC-seq data were generated using buffy coat samples from these same subjects.