Nanopore sequencing reveals methylation changes associated with obesity in circulating cell-free DNA from Goettingen Minipigs

Profiling of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) by tissue-specific base modifications, such as 5-methylcytosines (5mC), enables the monitoring of ongoing pathophysiological processes. Nanopore sequencing allows 5mC detection without bisulfite conversion but lacks validation with traditional methods. The aims of this study were: i) to find differentially methylated regions (DMRs) associated with obesity in a Goettingen Minipig myocardial infarction model in cfDNA from fresh serum by Nanopore sequencing, ii) to validate a subset of DMRs using methylation-specific PCR (MSP-PCR), and iii) to compare cfDNA DMRs with those from whole blood genomic DNA (gDNA).