Anti-5 hmC (mouse)

5 hydroxymethylcytosine (5 hmC) results from the enzymatic conversion of 5 methylcytosine into 5 hydroxymethylcytosine by the TET family of iron dependent oxygenases. 5 hmC bases were recently discovered in mammalian DNA, in Purkinje neurons, in granule cells and embryonic stem cells where theyare present at high levels (up to 0.6% of total nucleotides in Purkinje cells). Recent reports indicate that 5 hmC is abundant in brain tissue, especially in areas that are associated with higher cognitive functions. Preliminary results indicate that 5 hmC may have important roles distinct from 5 mC. Although its precise role has still to be shown, early evidence suggests 5 hydroxymethylcytosine may represent a new and unique pathway to demethylate DNA involving a repair mechanism converting 5 hmC to cytosine. Due to the structural similarity between 5 mC and 5 hmC, these bases are experimentally almost indistinguishable. The most commonly used methodologies (e.g. enzymatic approaches, bisulfite sequencing) do not distinguish 5mc from 5 hmC. The development of specific antibodies appears to be the most powerful way to distinguish and specifically enrich for 5 mC and 5 hmC sequences.