Allele-specific Methylation of Human Placental Tissue

In this study, we screened human placental samples for allele-specific methylation and subsequently novel imprinted genes associated with these regions. We used reduced representation bisulfite sequencing to identify partially methylated CpG islands (CGIs) in the human placental genome. We were able to delineate potential candidates for allele-specific methylation based on the calculation of a concordance statistic. Amongst the 28 regions chosen for validation based on high levels of expression, two regions were shown to exhibit allele-specific expression. Overall design: Single base-resolution methylation analysis in the placental genome and RNA-Seq