Next Generation Sequencing Facilitated Cerebellum DNA Methylation Analysis of Essential Tremor Patients

We report the RRBS-based cerebellum DNA methylation profiling of essential tremor (ET) patients and controls. By obtaining over thirty billion bases of sequence from bisulfited-converted DNA, we generated genome-wide methylation profile of human cerebellum tissue. We identified differential DNA methylation patterns in 735 genes at various gene parts, across 12 ET patients. Many of those differentially methylated CpGs in ET patients are located in upstream regulatory regions of genes. We further found that many differentially methylated genes in ET pateints are associated with neurodegenerative disease. This study provided a framework towards understanding epigenetic alteration in cerebellum of essnetial tremor patients. Overall design: Examination of cerebellum DNA methylation in 12 deceased essential tremor patients and 11 control patients.