Epigenetic biomarker discovery in IgA nephropathy: chromatin openness analysis of circulating CD8+ T cells using ATAC-Seq

Chromatin openess plays a critical role in understanding epigenetic regulation in disease states. Using ATAC-seq, we profiled circulating CD8+ T cells from IgA nephropathy (IgAN) patients to identify biomarkers distinguishing early and late disease stages. A total of 279 differential ATAC peaks were identified, with 122 selected as biomarkers based on fold change (>2) and statistical significance (P < 0.05). These biomarkers exhibited distinct chromatin accessibility patterns, highlighting differential regulatory mechanisms. Combining multiple biomarkers through weighted scoring enhanced predictive accuracy, with ROC analysis confirming their diagnostic potential. Our findings demonstrate that chromatin openness in circulating CD8+ T cells provides valuable insights into disease progression and serves as a robust platform for biomarker discovery in IgAN. Overall design: Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) samples were collected from a cohort of 17 IgAN patients. The patients were stratified into early- and late-stage groups based on their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at the time of blood collection.