A BISULFITE METHOD OF 5-METHYLCYTOSINE MAPPING THAT MINIMIZES TEMPLATE DEGRADATION

The bisulfite method is a highly sensitive approach to 5-methylcytosin e mapping that utilizes the capability of the polymerase chain reactio n to exponentially amplify DNA. We have observed that the bisulfite re action results in a significant level of template degradation due to D NA depurination. Furthermore, our data suggest that the DNA fragmentat ion which occurs limits the sensitivity of the method. We describe a s imple solution to limit degradation of the DNA template. (C) 1995 Acad emic Press, Inc.