Chemical modifications to nucleic acids, especially those related to epigenetic functions, provide critical regulatory information beyond simple genomic sequence. In addition to the well-established role of 5-methylcytosine in DNA, a more complex and dynamic DNA epigenetic regulatory network that also includes 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine has recently been identified. More recently, dynamic modifications in RNA (6-methyladenosine, pseudouridine and etc.) have also been demonstrated. The discovery of these new chemical modifications triggered an explosion of new information in the epigenetics field, which is largely due to timely developments of new technologies that can sequence these DNA/RNA modifications. As chemical biologists, we have developed several chemical-assisted technologies that enabled sequencing of such nucleic acid modifications at single-base resolution in the whole genome/transcriptome. Our future research will continue to emphasize on the discovery and application of novel chemicals/chemical reactions as unique tools to address important biological questions in the field of DNA/RNA epigenetics.
Key words:
Chemical biology, epigenetics, DNA/RNA modifications, chemical sequencing, small molecules
Reference:
1. Xiaoyu Li, Ping Zhu, Shiqing Ma, Jinghui Song, Jinyi Bai, Fangfang Sun,Chengqi Yi*. Chemical Pull-Down Reveals Dynamic Pseudouridylation in Mammalian Transcriptome.Nat. Chem. Biol.(Accepted) (*：Corresponding author)
2. Bo Xia, Dali Han, Xingyu Lu, Zhaozhu Sun, Ankun Zhou, Qiangzong Yin, Hu Zeng, Xiang Jiang, Wei Xie, Chuan He*,Chengqi Yi*. Bisulfite-free and base-resolution analysis of 5-formylcytosine at whole-genome scale.Nat. Meth.(Revised)
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