Recent advances in the bioanalysis of modified nucleotides in epigenetic studies

Epigenetic alterations, such as DNA methylation, are involved in the pathogenesis of various diseases, the toxicity of diverse agents, the process of aging, the development of stem cells and numerous other mechanisms. DNA methylation is one of the most well-studied epigenetic alterations in mammals. Nevertheless, the scientific interest is now focusing on novel modified nucleotides with potential regulatory roles, such as 5-hydroxymethylcytosine. We present and discuss novel bioanalytical strategies developed for the determination of various modified nucleotides in epigenetic studies. The field of ‘epigenetics’, which studies the nongenetic factors that manage the regulation of gene expression and nuclear structure, has...