# Genome-wide mapping and integrative analysis of DNA 6mA methylome in human AD brain

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · 2021 · $732,915

## Abstract

Project Summary
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia among older people with no cure or effective
treatment. A thorough understanding of its molecular mechanisms is required for discovering novel diagnostic
and therapeutic strategies against AD. Chemical modifications of DNA such as methylation play critical roles in
regulating gene expression and many other key biological processes, and altered DNA methylation pattern has
been implicated in brain aging and AD. While much attention has focused on DNA methylation at the fifth
position on cytosine (5mC), recent research identified a new form of DNA modification at the sixth position on
adenine (6mA) in mammalian brains. However, little is known about its presence, genomic distribution, and
possible functions in human brain and relevance to AD. Our preliminary data in mouse and human brain
indicated that 6mA is dynamically responsive to environmental stress and accumulates in human AD brain.
Our central hypothesis is that altered signature of 6mA modification is causally associated with AD
neuropathology. The objectives of this project are to generate the first detailed map of brain 6mA methylome
and identify causative genes harboring aberrant 6mA alterations associated with quantitative neuropathological
measures for early features of AD pathology (e.g., amyloid plaques, neurofibrillary tangles). To achieve this,
we propose three specific aims: (1) Genome-wide mapping of brain DNA 6mA methylome to identify
differentially methylated genes/regions harboring altered 6mA sites (D6AMRs) associated with AD pathology in
1,200 postmortem brain tissue samples collected by two large, community-based population cohorts of aging
and dementia. (2) Integrated multiomics analysis to elucidate the potential mechanistic role of 6mA alteration in
AD pathology; and (3) Functionally validation of top-ranked candidate genes in 3D brain organoids derived
from human iPSCs. This innovative project leverages the wealth of deep clinical and neuropathological
phenotypes along with rich omics data including genetic (GWAS, WGS), epigenetic (5mC, 5hmC, 6mA,
H3K9Ac), and transcriptome (RNA-seq) profiled on the same prefrontal cortex, and will provide unprecedented
opportunities to uncover novel molecular mechanisms implicated in AD pathology. Our proposal brings
together an exceptionally strong and unique multidisciplinary team with complementary expertise in genetic
epidemiology, statistical genetics, bioinformatics, molecular and neuroepigenetics, and Alzheimer’s research.
The work proposed represents the frontier in the interface between AD and omics research. Findings of this
study will provide novel mechanistic insight into AD pathogenesis, and are likely to discover new molecular
targets with important clinical and translational implications.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10172823
- **Project number:** 5R01AG064786-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID ALAN BENNETT
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $732,915
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-01 → 2024-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10172823

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10172823, Genome-wide mapping and integrative analysis of DNA 6mA methylome in human AD brain (5R01AG064786-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10172823. Licensed CC0.

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