Association of common genetic variation with Parkinson’s disease is driven by microglial modulation of Leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 expression
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ABSTRACT: Previous studies have shown that non-coding genetic variation in the 5’ region of the leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) gene contributes to Parkinson's disease risk and influences LRRK2 expression, with the risk allele associated with increased expression of LRRK2. To interrogate the biological basis of this expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL), we used single nuclei RNA sequencing of human frontal cortex from donors with known LRRK2 risk genotypes to show that the eQTL propagates via microglia, despite robust expression of LRRK2 in other cell types. Second, we found that chromatin in the 5’ region of LRRK2 is differentially accessible in microglia compared to other brain cell types using single nuclei ATAC sequencing. We confirmed these effects in a microglia cell model derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by generating single cell RNA sequencing and bulk ATAC sequencing datasets. Our results demonstrate that gene expression as a quantitative trait may influence specific cell populations, and that non-coding genetic variants that are associated with other diseases may propagate through restricted cell types.
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE163323 | GEO | 2021/01/29
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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