DNA methylation screening suggests brain origin of cell-free DNA in epilepsy

Abstract

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) are small circulating DNA fragments generally defined as cellular death debris. The profiling of the cfDNA methylome has been successfully used to track the origin of these circulating nucleic acids, which greatly upgraded the clinical applicability of liquid biopsies. The prediction of tissue specific cell death may represent a valuable tool in early disease diagnose and identification of undetermined pathology. The main histopathological feature of Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy with Hippocampal Sclerosis (MTLE-HS) is severe neuronal death in the mesial regions. Increased cfDNA total levels have been previously reported in MTLE-HS, although the potentially cerebral origin is still undisclosed.