Identifying the role of DNMT1 on methylation signatures in somatostatinergic interneurons during embryonic corticogenesis [EM-seq]

The establishment of neuronal circuits, made up of excitatory neurons and inhibitory interneurons, is an intricately regulated process during development and is vital for proper brain function. Its perturbations are increasingly implicated in several neuropsychiatric disorders. While excitatory neurons are born in proliferative zones of the cortex, cortical inhibitory interneurons are born in the basal telencephalon and migrate into the cortex. This process is regulated by intrinsic genetic programs as well as extrinsic cues. Here, we aimed to characterize the role of the DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) in controlling the methylation of key genes implicated in the development and the migration of somatostatin-expressing interneurons within the developing murine cortex. Overall design: FAC-sorted somatostatinergic interneurons from the basal telencephalon were collected from the brains of multiple E14.5 mice, with or without a conditional knockout of Dnmt1 in somatostatinergic interneurons, and pooled per genotype. The samples were sequenced following a DNA extraction and library preparation.