New England Biolabs Launches a Suite of Innovative Tools to Advance Epigenetics Research, Including PCR-Based Assay to Identify and Quantitate 5-hmC in Epigenome

IPSWICH, Mass., Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- New England Biolabs (NEB) has launched a suite of new and validated products designed to simplify DNA methylation analysis for epigenetics researchers. These enzyme-based solutions address some of the challenges of the current methods, including the lack of a reproducible method for the analysis and quantitation of 5-hydroxymethlcytosine (5-hmC) in the epigenome.

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EpiMark™ validated products from NEB include a family of methylation-dependent restriction enzymes (MspJI, FspEI and LpnPI), which excise 32-base pair fragments from whole genomes. These fragments contain centrally located hydroxymethylated (5-hmC) or methylated (5-mC) residues, and can be subsequently extracted and sequenced. This method is less harsh than bisulfite conversion and is suitable for whole methylome analysis.

The EpiMark™ 5-hmC and 5-mC Analysis Kit is a robust method for the identification and detection of 5-hmC and 5-mC within a specific locus. This three-step protocol reproducibly identifies and quantitates the presence of 5-hmC. Additionally, it is compatible with existing analysis techniques and is amenable to high throughput.

"Epigenetics currently represents one of the most exciting areas of life science research," states Andy Bertera, Director of Marketing at New England Biolabs. "The availability of innovative tools that simplify epigenetic studies is critical for the development of new disease-related biomarkers. The EpiMark family of products will help to achieve this, as well as help to further our understanding of the role of 5-hmC in the epigenome."

About NEB

Established in the mid 1970's, New England Biolabs, Inc. is the industry leader in the discovery and production of enzymes for molecular biology applications and now offers the largest selection of recombinant and native enzymes for genomic research. NEB continues to expand its product offerings into areas related to PCR, gene expression, cellular analysis, epigenetics and RNA analysis. Additionally, NEB is focused on strengthening alliances that enable new technologies to reach key market sectors. New England Biolabs is a privately held company, headquartered in Ipswich, MA and has extensive worldwide distribution through a network of exclusive distributors, agents and five subsidiaries located in Canada, China, Germany, Japan and the UK. For more information about New England Biolabs visit www.neb.com.

SOURCE New England Biolabs

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