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The Infinium MethylationEPIC & Hydroxymethylation oxEPIC Array utilizes a genome-wide DNA methylation analysis technique based on selective oxidation, bisulfite conversion, and Illumina® technology. The technique allows to quantitively detect the true methylation (5mC) and total methylation (5mC + 5hmC) levels of over 850,000 CpG positions throughout a human genome at single nucleotide resolution.
Briefly, upon bisulfite treatment, both 5‑methylcytosine and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine are read as cytosines, giving a map of total methylation (5mC + 5hmC) level in the DNA sample. Alternatively, by performing first an oxidation step, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine is converted to 5-formylcytosine, which subsequently converts to uracil during bisulfite treatment. Consequently, only 5‑methylcytosine is read as cytosine, giving a map of the true methylation (5mC) level in the DNA sample. Combining both methods enables the interrogation of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) status in the DNA sample.