5-Hydroxymethylcytosine: a new kid on the epigenetic block?

ABSTRACT: The discovery of the Ten-Eleven-Translocation (TET) oxygenases that catalyze the hydroxylation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) has triggered an avalanche of studies aiming to resolve the role of 5hmC in gene regulation if any. Hitherto, TET1 is reported to bind to CpG-island (CGI) and bivalent promoters in mouse embryonic stem cells, whereas binding at DNAseI hypersensitive sites (HS) had escaped previous analysis. Significant enrichment/accumulation of 5hmC but not 5mC can indeed be detected at bivalent promoters and at DNaseI-HS. Surprisingly, however, 5hmC is not detected or present at very low levels at CGI promoters notwithstanding the presence of TET1. Our meta-analysis of DNA methylation profiling points to potential issues with regard to the various meth

SUBMITTER: Matarese F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3737735 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature