Targeted radiotherapy (RT) is integral to the increasing survival of cancer patients; however, it has significant side-effects, the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms of which are ill-defined. It is well documented that RT induces epigenetic changes in neoplastic tissue, which impacts tumour evolution, however whether epigenetic deregulation also occurs in the surrounding non-neoplastic tissue and contributes to the occurrence of side effects is unknown. We characterised the DNA methylome in a unique cohort of irradiated peri-lesional brain tissue samples and integrated it with gene expression analysis at the spatial level. We show differences in DNA methylation patterns in irradiated brain tissue and identify specific inflammatory micro-environmental niches and their regulatory neuropeptides after irradiation. Finally, we show in a cerebral organoid model, that the same neuropeptides are upregulated as well as similar DNA methylation alterations and disruption of the DNA methylation machinery, in keeping with the interpretation that epigenetic dysregulation plays a role in neurotoxicity, hence raising the possibility it could represent a novel target for the reduction of radiotherapy side-effects.
Keywords: DNA methylation; epigenetics; neuro-oncology; neuroinflammation; radiotherapy; spatial transcriptomics.
© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain.