Global DNA-methylation in quantitative epigenetics: orbitrap mass spectrometry.

ABSTRACT: DNA methylation is the most common epigenetic modification in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic genomes. Here we present a method based on highly efficient acid-hydrolysis of DNA, liquid chromatography, and detection by mass spectrometry to accurately quantify cytosine methylation in highly methylated DNA samples. This approach enables direct, rapid, cost-efficient, and sensitive quantification of the methyl-modified nucleobase 5-methylcytosine and 6-methyl adenine, along with their unmodified nucleobases. In contrast to standard sequencing techniques, our method only gives quantitative information on the overall degree of methylation, but it requires only small amounts of DNA and is not dependent on lengthy bioinformatic analyses. Our method allows rapid, global methylome analysis and quant

SUBMITTER: Otto JFM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12511803 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature