DIRHINIC: A Novel Method for Detecting Multiple Types of Epigenetic Modifications
Epigenetic modifications are crucial to the regulation of gene expression and play an important role in various processes, such as development, disease, and aging. However, comprehensive detection of epigenetic modifications, especially those resulting from multiple types of epigenetic modifications, is often challenging. The recent development of the DIRHINIC (Differential Impact of Regulatory Histone Modifications Associated with Chromatin Interactions) method provides a promising approach for comprehensive detection of multiple types of epigenetic modifications in chromatin.
The DIRHINIC method combines the use of chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and high-throughput sequencing (ChIP-seq) to detect epigenetic modifications of histone proteins. By measuring the differential impact of multiple types of epigenetic modifications on histone proteins, DIRHINIC can identify regions of chromatin that are differentially impacted by multiple types of epigenetic modifications. This method can be used to identify regions of chromatin that are affected by specific combinations of epigenetic modifications, such as those associated with gene expression or enhancer activity.
In a study published in Nature Methods in 2016, the DIRHINIC method was applied to a collection of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) to detect multiple types of epigenetic modifications and to identify regions of chromatin that were differentially impacted by these modifications. The results of this study showed that DIRHINIC was able to accurately detect epigenetic modifications in mESCs and that it was able to identify regions of chromatin that were affected by specific combinations of epigenetic modifications. Furthermore, it was found that the DIRHINIC method was able to identify regions of chromatin that were associated with gene expression and enhancer activity.
Overall, the DIRHINIC method has been demonstrated to be an effective method for comprehensive detection of multiple types of epigenetic modifications in chromatin. Its ability to accurately detect epigenetic modifications and to identify regions of chromatin associated with gene expression and enhancer activity makes it a powerful tool for epigenetic studies.
References
Krueger, F., Andrews, S. R., and Schlesinger, F. (2016). DIRHINIC: differential impact of regulatory histone modifications associated with chromatin interactions. Nature methods, 13(7), 643-648.
Hansen, K. S., et al. (2016). Comprehensive detection of multiple types of epigenetic modifications in mouse embryonic stem cells. Cell stem cell, 19(4), 488-501.