抄録
The development of a chemical reaction for the detection of one epigenetic modification in a long nucleic acid is a chemically and biologically challenging research subject. Here we review three topics on chemical detection of methylation/demethylation process in nucleic acids; (1) sequence-specific osmium oxidation of DNA 5-methylcytosine; (2) DNA 5-hydroxymethylcytosine-specific oxidation with peroxotungstate; (3) capturing activated RNA demethylase complexes with specific RNA m6A recognition. These novel concepts of methylation/demethylation-specific reactions, based on straightforward chemical approaches, expand the range of methods available for the analysis of epigenetic modifications in nucleic acids.
