DNA methylation and histone post-translational modification stability in post-mortem brain tissue

Clinical Epigenetics

Table 5 Changes in epigenetic mark immunoreactivity—human neocortex tissue array samples

	Normal			Subacute hypoxic changes
Epigenetic modification	3 days post-mortem	4 days post-mortem	5 days post-mortem	31–43 h post-mortem
5mC	No change	No change	No change	Cytoplasm leakage
5hmC	No change	No change	No change	Few (−) small nuclei
5fC	No change	No change	Moderate decrease; glial and neuronal	No change
5caC	No change	No change	Moderate decrease; neuronal	Few small nuclei are (−)
H3K4me3	Minor cytoplasmic labeling	Minor decrease, neuronal	Minor decrease, neuronal	Cytoplasm leakage
H3K27me3	No change	Few (−) glial cells	No change	No change
H3K36me3	No change	Minor decrease; glial and neuronal	Minor decrease; glial and neuronal	Minor decrease; neuronal
H3panAc	No change	Minor decrease; glial and neuronal	Minor decrease; glial and neuronal	Minor decrease; glial and neuronal
H3K9ac	No change	Minor decrease; glial	Minor decrease; glial and neuronal	Few small nuclei are (−)
H3K14ac	Minor decrease; glial and neuronal	Minor decrease; glial Moderate decrease; neuronal; few (−) neurons	Minor decrease; glial, Moderate decrease; neuronal; few (−) neurons	Minor to moderate decrease; glial and neuronal; few (−) neurons
H3K27ac	Minor decrease; glial	Few small nuclei are (−)	Few small nuclei are (−)	Few small nuclei are (−)
H4K5ac	No change	Moderate decrease; glial and neuronal	Few small nuclei are (−)	No change
H4K12ac	No change	No change	No change	No change

Note: There were no obvious differences between the specimens obtained surgically and fixed < 1 h after devitalization and the autopsy samples that were fixed ≤ 2 days after death, unless there were also changes due to hypoxic-ischemic brain damage

ISSN: 1868-7083