Genome-wide DNA Methylation Profiling in Lyme Neuroborreliosis Reveals Altered Methylation Patterns of HLA Genes.

Henningsson, Anna J; Hellberg, Sandra; Lerm, Maria; Sayyab, Shumaila · J Infect Dis · 2024

case_control · Level III

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Abstract

Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) is a complex neuroinflammatory disorder caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, which is transmitted through tick bites. Epigenetic alterations, specifically DNA methylation (DNAm), could play a role in the host immune response during infection. In this study, we present the first genome-wide analysis of DNAm in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with LNB and those without LNB. Using a network-based approach, we highlighted HLA genes at the core of these DNAm changes, which were found to be enriched in immune-related pathways. These findings shed light on the role of epigenetic modifications in the LNB pathogenesis that should be confirmed and further expanded upon in future studies.

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