Segregation of partly melted molecules: isolation of CpG islands by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.

The technique of segregation of partly melted molecules (SPM) is a convenient and efficient method to isolate DNA fragments associated with CpG islands. The approach is conceptually simple and uses denaturant gradient gel electrophoresis to separate DNA molecules digested with restriction endonucleases. The SPM methodology has successfully been applied to the identification of genes from anonymous, unsequenced DNA fragments and CpG islands methylated in human cancer.

A comprehensive catalog of CpG islands methylated in human lung adenocarcinomas for the identification of tumor suppressor genes.

CpG island methylation is an important mechanism in gene silencing and is a key epigenetic event in cancer development. As yet, the number and identities of the genes that are inactivated in cancer cells has not been determined. In order to address this issue, we have performed a comprehensive isolation of CpG islands that are methylated in human lung adenocarcinomas.