Base Resolution Analysis of 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine in the Mammalian Genome

The study of 5-hydroxylmethylcytosines (5hmC), the sixth base of the mammalian genome, as an epigenetic mark has been hampered by a lack of method to map it at single-base resolution. Previous affinity purification-based methods could not precisely locate 5hmC nor accurately determine its relative abundance at each modified site. We here present a genome-wide approach for mapping 5hmC at base resolution. Application of this new method to the embryonic stem cells not only confirms widespread distribution of 5hmC in mammalian genome, but also reveals a strong sequence bias and strand asymmetry at sites of 5hmC. Additionally, the relative abundance of 5hmC varies significantly depending on the types of functional sequences, suggesting different mechanisms for 5hmC deposition and maintenance. Furthermore, we observe high levels of 5hmC and reciprocally low levels of 5mC at transcription factor binding sites, revealing a dynamic DNA methylation process at cis-regulatory elements. Base resolution sequencing of 5 hydroxymethylcytosine in human and mouse embryonic stem cells