Abstract 7008: NEBNext® E5hmC-seqTM: Direct detection of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine at single base resolution
Authors: Cammarata Garrett M. , Evanich Daniel J. , Ponnaluri V. K. Chaithanya , Panchapakesa Vaishnavi , Erijman Ariel , Campbell Matt A. , Dai Nan , Langhorst Bradley W. , Williams Louise 
Published: March 2024

DNA methylation is a critical epigenetic regulator of gene expression during development and in diseases such as cancer. The modified cytosines, 5-methylcytosine (5mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), can be detected by sequencing libraries generated using existing methods: NEBNext® EM-seq™ or bisulfite sequencing. However, these methods cannot differentiate between 5mC and 5hmC. Interest in the role of 5hmC in regulating gene expression and as a cancer biomarker has increased, resulting in the need for robust methods for the identification of specific 5hmC sites. Methods currently exist to enable discrimination of 5mC and 5hmC (for example, oxBS-seq and TAB-seq), however these are based on modifications of bisulfite sequencing, and suffer from reduced data quality due to fragmentation and loss of DNA. Here we describe an enzymatic method that enables specific detection of 5hmC, termed NEBNext® Enzymatic 5hmC-seq (E5hmC-seqTM). E5hmC-seq libraries were generated for 0.1 ng to 200 ng DNA isolated from human brain and E14 mouse embryonic stem cells. Libraries were prepared using NEBNext® Ultra IITM reagents followed by two enzymatic steps to detect 5hmC. In the first step, 5hmCs are glucosylated, which protects them from subsequent deamination by APOBEC. In contrast, cytosines and 5mCs are deaminated resulting in their conversion to uracil and thymine, respectively. This conversion allows discrimination of 5hmC from cytosine and 5mC. Finally, libraries were PCR amplified using NEBNext® Q5U® and sequenced on the Illumina platform. The E5hmC-seq libraries have similar characteristics to EM-seq libraries, including expected insert sizes due to intact DNA molecules, low duplication rates and minimal GC bias. Moreover, E5hmC-seq libraries were well-correlated between inputs and replicates at higher sequencing depths. Fully hydroxymethylated T4147 phage DNA was used as an internal control, with 98-99% of cytosines identified as 5hmC. 5mC and 5hmC levels were also profiled during E14 cell differentiation for a period of 10 days. Interestingly, 5hmC levels decreased whereas 5mC levels increased particularly during the first five days of differentiation. LC-MS/MS quantification of this same DNA mirrored the changes observed by sequencing. E5hmC-seq libraries provide accurate measurements of 5hmC across a wide input range with expected insert sizes and minimal GC bias. Additionally, subtracting E5hmC-seq data from EM-seq data, which detects both 5mC and 5hmC, enables the precise location of individual 5mC and 5hmC sites. The ability to discriminate between 5mC and 5hmC will allow key insights to be made into the role of cytosine modifications in development and cancer.

Citation Format: Garrett M. Cammarata, Daniel J. Evanich, V. K. Chaithanya Ponnaluri, Vaishnavi Panchapakesa, Ariel Erijman, Matt A. Campbell, Nan Dai, Bradley W. Langhorst, Louise Williams. NEBNext® E5hmC-seqTM: Direct detection of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine at single base resolution [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 7008.