 genetic screening in alzheimer 's disease ( ad ) has identified only a handful of genes that are mutated in the disorder . 
 thus , for a very large proportion of patients , the biology of their disease is poorly understood . 
 epigenetic alterations may provide an explanation in these cases . using dna methylation profiles of human hippocampus from controls and patients , 
 we have identified the presence of promoter hypermethylation of the dual - specificity phosphatase 22 ( dusp22 ) gene in ad . 
 dusp22 is a likely candidate gene for involvement in the pathogenesis of the disorder since , as we demonstrate here , it inhibits pka activity and thereby determines tau phosphorylation status and creb signaling . 
  2014 the authors . 
 hippocampus published by wiley periodicals , inc . 
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