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Molecular assay reagents intended for use in detecting DNA methylation, a form of epigenetic modification. The most common form of DNA methylation is the addition of a methyl group to cytosine nucleotides, and these tests typically use a methodology known as bisulfite sequencing that can discriminate between methylated and non-methylated cytosine residues. In brief, DNA of interest is first subjected to bisulfite conversion, which converts methylated cytosine to uracil. Following, bisulfite conversion, the sample is subjected to one of a number of sequence determination methods (e.g., dideoxynucleotide sequencing, restriction-length polymorphism analysis, sequence-specific primer extension) to detect any cytosine to uracil conversions. Additional, bisulfite-free, methylation detection reagents are also available.
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