ABSTRACT
As an epigenetic and inheritable trait, DNA methylation is well-known for its role in important biological phenomena, including X-chromosome inactivation (in females), genetic imprinting, cell differentiation, and mutagenesis (Robertson and Wolffe, 2000, Feinberg et al., 2002, Fitzpatrick and Wilson, 2003, Muegge et al., 2003). In the human genome, DNA methylation primarily involves about 70% of all cytosines in the context of 5’-CG-3’ (CpG) dinucleotides. Fine mapping of CpG methylation has been a major goal of the Human Epigenome Project (HEP), and the first major product derived from this international effort has been published recently (Rakyan et al., 2004).
