A Strategy for Accurate Quantification of 5-Methylcytosine and 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine at CpG Sites Within Gene Promoter.

5-Methylcytosine (5mC) can be converted to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) in mammalian DNA by the ten-eleven translocation (TET) enzymes. Traditional bisulfite-based DNA methylation analysis techniques have been widely used in the detection of 5mC. However, they can not discriminate 5hmC from 5mC, leading to overestimate 5mC levels.