Flow cytometric and laser scanning microscopic approaches in epigenetics research.
Our understanding of epigenetics has been transformed in recent years by the advance of technological possibilities based primarily on a powerful tool, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). However, in many cases, the detection of epigenetic changes requires methods providing a high-throughput (HTP) platform. Cytometry has opened a novel approach for the quantitative measurement of molecules, including PCR products, anchored to appropriately addressed microbeads (Pataki et al. 2005. Cytometry 68, 45-52). Here we show selected examples for the utility of two different cytometry-based platforms of epigenetic analysis: ChIP-on-beads, a flow-cytometric test of local histone modifications (Szekvolgyi et al. 2006. Cytometry 69, 1086-1091), and the laser scanning cytometry-based measurement of global epigenetic modifications that might help predict clinical behavior in different pathological conditions. We anticipate that such alternative tools may shortly become indispensable in clinical practice, translating the systematic screening of epigenetic tags from basic research into routine diagnostics of HTP demand.
Szekvolgyi
Lorant
L
Institut Curie, Recombinaison et Instabilité Génétique, UMR7147 CNRS, Institut Curie, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France.
Imre
Laszlo
L
Minh
Doan Xuan Quang
DX
Hegedus
Eva
E
Bacso
Zsolt
Z
Szabo
Gabor
G
D000818:Animals; D047369:Chromatin Immunoprecipitation / Q000379:methods; D019175:DNA Methylation / Q000235:genetics; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry / Q000379:methods*; D005821:Genetic Techniques; D006801:Humans; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods; D008863:Microspheres; D012107:Research Design