BECon

BECon quantifies DNA methylation concordance and variability at cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites between blood and brain to support interpretation of blood-based methylation findings in the context of brain tissue.

Key Features:

• Tissue-Specific Concordance Analysis: Quantifies concordance of CpG methylation between blood and multiple brain regions to indicate how well blood reflects brain methylation at individual sites.
• Variability Metrics: Provides metrics on CpG methylation variability within and between blood and brain tissues to assess site stability and informativeness.
• Cell Composition Estimations: Estimates the influence of cellular composition on CpG methylation in blood and brain to distinguish biological signal from cell-type effects.

Scientific Applications:

• Epigenetic Research: Supports studies examining associations between blood DNA methylation and brain function or disease by contextualizing blood–brain methylation relationships.
• Disease Biomarker Discovery: Aids identification and evaluation of blood-based CpG biomarkers for neurological conditions by assessing their concordance with brain methylation.

Methodology:

Paired samples from 16 individuals (three brain regions and whole blood) were analyzed using the Illumina 450K Human Methylation Array to derive the concordance, variability, and cell-composition metrics used by BECon.