Methylated DNA Immunoprecipitation (MeDIP)

DNA methylation was the first discovered epigenetic mark and is the most widely studied topic in Epigenetics today. Many techniques have been developed to analyze DNA methylation, which can be divided into three groups:

1. Chemical modification with bisulfite
2. Affinity-based isolation of methylated DNA
3. Treatment with methylation-sensitive restriction enzymes

The MeDIP method is based on the affinity purification of methylated DNA using an antibody directed against 5 methylcytosine (5-mC).

How it works

In brief, Methyl DNA IP is performed as follows: Genomic DNA from cultured cells or tissues is prepared, sheared, and then denatured. Then, immunoselection and immunoprecipitation can take place using the antibody directed against 5 methylcytosine and antibody binding beads. After isolation and purification is performed, the IP’d methylated DNA is ready for any subsequent analysis as qPCR, amplification, hybridization on microarrays or next generation sequencing.

Overview