The mutation of the TET enzymes has been implicated in the development of leukaemia. These convert 5-methylcytosine to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). A new method, oxidative bisulphite sequencing, along with the established method of bisulphite sequencing, can quantitatively map the presence of 5hmC at single nucleotide resolution. High levels of 5hmC were present at CpG islands associated with transcriptional regulators and in LINE1 elements, and this supports the concept that 5hmC is present at DNA sites that are particularly epigenetically plastic.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER
Booth, M. J. et al. Quantitative sequencing of 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine at single-base resolution. Science 26 Apr 2012 (doi:10.1126/science.1220671)
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McCarthy, N. CpG islands and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine. Nat Rev Cancer 12, 374 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc3293
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc3293
