Genome-wide open chromatin status in WT and IRF8KO microglia

The role of a transcription factor, Interferon Regulatory Factor 8 (IRF8), in microglia is yet to be fully understood. We conducted a study to examine the chromatin status of postnatal and adult wild-type (WT) and IRF8-knockout (IRF8KO) microglia through ATAC-Seq. We also added 5xFAD Alzheimer's disease microglia to observe any chromatin events that may be similar in disease-associated microglia. After deep-sequencing and differential analysis, we discovered that chromatin accessibility in microglia is dependent on IRF8. In the absence of IRF8, there was aberrant chromatin accessibility that potentially resulted in mRNA transcription of genes that were upregulated in IRF8KO microglia, which was distinct from 5xFAD microglia. This study contributes to a better understanding of epigenetic regulation in microglia.