Transcriptomic profiling reveals sex-specific epigenetic dynamics involving kdm6b specific H3k27 methylation in cerebral ischemia-induced neurogenesis and recovery

Ischemic stroke, despite its significant impact in the global disease burden, a comprehensive analysis, and particularly concerning mild stroke models like internal carotid artery occlusion (ICAO) remains limited. Considering the importance of sex-specific differentially regulated epigenetic mechanisms in our previous studies, our present work focused on elucidating the roles of a few of epigenetic regulators as revealed by RNA-seq. This investigation identifies an epigenetic modulator, kdm6b/jmjd3, targeting H3k27, and delineates its sex-specific role in neural stem cell proliferation. In conclusion, the overall approach of the study not only advances our understanding of ischemic stroke but also highlights the necessity of considering sex as a pivotal variable in stroke research. The identified epigenetic modulators and their roles in neurogenesis offer potential targets for refined therapeutic interventions, emphasizing the importance of personalized and sex-specific considerations in stroke studies. Internal carotid artery occlusion (ICAO) was performed in adult CD1 mice of both the sexes with ethically approved protocol. RNA libraries were generated using the Illumina TruSeq Stranded Total RNA Library Prep workflow with Ribo-Zero Gold. Total RNA sequencing was performed on the Illumia NovaSeq. The obtained sequence data were analysed later with the help of several bioinformatics tools.