Sequencing 5-Formyluracil in Genomic DNA at Single-Base Resolution

Anal Chem. 2021 Nov 23;93(46):15445-15451. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.1c03339. Epub 2021 Nov 13.

Abstract

Albeit with low content, 5-formyluracil has been an important modification in genomic DNA. 5-formyluracil was found to be widely distributed among living bodies. Due to the equilibrium of keto-enol form, 5-formyluracil could be base-paired with guanine, thus inducing mutations in DNA. The highly reactive aldehyde group of 5-formyluracil could also cross-link with proteins nearby, preventing gene replication and expression. In certain cancerous tissues, the content of 5-formyluracil was found to be higher than the normal tissues adjacent to the tumor, and 5-formyluracil might be an important potential epigenetic mark. Nevertheless, the lack of a higher resolution sequencing technique has hampered the studies of 5-formyluracil. We adjusted the base-pairing of 5-formyluracil during the PCR amplification by changing the pH. Hence, we adopted the Alkaline Modulated 5-formyluracil Sequencing (AMfU-Seq), a single-base resolution analysis method, to profile 5-formyluracil at the genome scale. We analyzed the distribution of 5-formyluracil in the human thyroid carcinoma cells using AMfU-Seq. This technique can be used in the future investigations of 5-formyluracil.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • DNA* / genetics
  • Genomics
  • Guanine
  • Humans
  • Uracil* / analogs & derivatives

Substances

  • 5-formyluracil
  • Uracil
  • Guanine
  • DNA