Genome-wide, high-resolution DNA methylation profiling using bisulfate-mediated cytosine conversion

Methylation of cytosines (C-m) is essential for epigenetic gene regulation in plants and mammals. Aberrant C-m patterns are associated with heritable developmental abnormalities in plants and with cancer in mammals. We have developed a genome-wide DNA methylation profiling technology employing a novel amplification step for DNA subjected to bisulfate-mediated cytosine conversion. The methylation patterns detected are not only consistent with previous results obtained with C-m immunoprecipitation (mCIP) techniques, but also demonstrated improved resolution and sensitivity. The technology, named BiMP (for Bisulfite Methylation Profiling), is more cost-effective than mCIP and requires as little as 100 ng of Arabidopsis DNA.