We’re not entirely sure what the enigmatic base variant 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) does or why it’s important yet, but we do know it’s become one of our favorite epigenetic topics. Whether you’re a 5-hmC newbie, or just need a quick refresher, you’ll want to check out our favorite articles we’ve featured on the subject.
- Hydroxymethylcytosine Shakes Up the Epigenetics Community: Although 5-hmC’s broader epigenetic role (if any) remains a mystery today, the early evidence suggests a few putative mechanisms that could have big implications.
- ES Cells and their 5hmC Highwire Balancing Act: Researchers in the UK have shown that changes in the relative levels of 5mC and 5hmC in ES cells could help tip cells toward differentiation.
- Uncovering 5hmC’s Link to Stem Cell Self-Renewal: A study in Nature ties the mysterious modification to a demethylation pathway, regulated by Tet proteins, that helps keep embryonic stem cells (ESCs) in the stem zone.
- Watch It: Sensitive 5-hmC Detection in Action: This short JOVE vid that show’s NEB’s EpiMark™ 5-hmC and 5-mC Analysis Kit tracking down 5-hydroxymethylcytosine levels in mouse Babl/C brain.
- Small Pores Provide Smoother 5-hmC Experience: Solid-state nanopores were put to work to introduce robust techniques for discerning 5-methylcystosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) at the single base level.
- 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine Gets Sensitive: A new assay specifically transfers glucose to the hydroxymethyl group of 5-hmC , and uses that to specifically and quantitatively label genomic 5-hm.
- 5hmC Analysis Twofer: Learn about two new methods for genome-wide mapping of 5hmC, neither of which relies on 5hmC antibodies: GLIB (glucosylation, periodate oxidation, biotinylation) and CMS (cytosine 5-methylenesulfonate).
- That’s Sweet: Tracking Down 5-hmC with Sugar: Glucose, the simple sugar that keeps life moving, can be added to 5-hmC using a 5-hmC Glucosyltransferase from uridine diphosphoglucose (UDPG). The reaction takes longer to spell check than run.
- Enriching 5-hmC Detection with Sugar: This new method uses a glucose that’s chemically modified with an azide group to tack biotin groups to 5-hmC, enabling affinity purification of biotin-labeled 5-hmC fragments.
- Expert Insight: 5-hmC Analysis Methods: Product developers have had to develop ways to distinguish methylcytosine (5-mC) from 5-hmC, some of these new methods enable locus-specific analysis, while others provide a global snapshot of 5-hmC presence.
Product Features:
Inspired to tackle some 5-hmC experiments for yourself? Then check out some kits below that’ll get you started off on the right foot.
- Doubling Down on 5-hmC Profiling with Dual MeDIP from Diagenode: Diagenode launched the first 5-hmC mononclonal antibody, an innovation that makes enriching and analyzing 5-hmC a reality.
- Combo Your 5-hmC and 5-mC Detection with NEB’s EpiMark™ 5-hmC Kit: Profiles both 5-hmC and 5-mC at the same time, using an easy-to-follow protocol
- Zymo’s Quest 5-hmC Detection Kit Covers All the Bases: Let’s you see exactly where those 5-hmC marks have been hiding all this time.