Base-resolution maps of 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine reveal genome-wide DNA demethylation dynamics

ABSTRACT: 5-methylcytosine (5mC), the predominant epigenetic modification on DNA, plays critical roles in mammalian development and is dysregulated in various human pathologies. In mammals, the TET family of dioxygenases can oxidize 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC), and 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC) in a stepwise manner. 5fC and 5caC are selectively recognized and excised by mammalian thymine DNA glycosylase (TDG), and restored to normal cytosine through base excision repair (BER). Once 5mC/5hmC is converted to 5fC and/or 5caC, the modified cytosine is committed to demethylation through BER. Thus 5fC and 5caC most likely mark active demethylation in the mammalian genome. Here we introduce a genome-wide approach to obtain single-base resolution maps of 5fC and 5caC, respectively. We show that, in mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs), 5fC and 5caC are preferentially generated at highly hypomethylated regions and more active enhancers. Moreover, 5caC-marked regions are characterized by the lowest methylation and highest enhancer activity among all modification sites associated with 5hmC, 5fC and 5caC, and are enriched adjacent to pluripotency transcription factor (TF)-binding motifs. These observations, together with the surprising lack of overlap between 5fC and 5caC sites, highlight a gradient of Tet-mediated 5mC oxidation activity at regulatory elements in tuning epigenetic dynamics11.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE56429 | GEO | 2015/01/20

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA243290

REPOSITORIES: GEO