Brain 5-hydroxymethylcytosine alterations are associated with Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology

DNA 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), also known as the sixth DNA base of the genome, plays an important role in neurogenerative disorders. However, little is known about its genome-wide distribution and its association with Alzheimer’s disease neuropathology. Here, we report a genome-wide profiling of 5hmC in 1,050 autopsied brains (dorsolateral prefrontal cortex) of older adults in the Religious Orders Study/Memory and Aging Project (ROSMAP) cohorts. This resource will facilitate future research of DNA methylation and demethylation in Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders. We generated 5hmC profiles in 1,050 postmortem brain tissue samples who were part of the Religious Order Study (ROS) or the Rush Memory and Aging Project (MAP), collectively called ROSMAP. The 5hmC data was generated by hMe-Seal in a sample of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) from each participant.