Chapter 2 - Laboratory Methods in Epigenetics

Abstract

Epigenetic modifications have been demonstrated to be associated with biological processes through regulation of gene expression. Epigenetic mechanisms mainly consist of DNA methylation, histone modification, and microRNA regulatory activity. DNA methylation involves the addition of a methyl group to the 5′ position of the cytosine pyrimidine ring. DNA hypermethylation generally downregulates gene transcription and the reverse is true for DNA hypomethylation. Histone modification also plays an important role in epigenetic regulation. It is a reversible process, allowing genes to be switched between a favorable or unfavorable chromatin status for transcription. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that function as negative gene regulators through binding to complementary sequences in the 3′ UTR of multiple target mRNAs. Here, we describe methods applied in epigenetic studies including technological advances in microarray-based methods and “next-generation sequence.”