Discrimination between 5-hydroxymethylcytosine and 5-methylcytosine in DNA by selective chemical labeling.

Detection of DNA damage has been greatly improved following the development of equipment and techniques, however, discrimination between 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) and 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) is still a thorny problem. In the present study, an approach to oxidize and selective label (Ox-Labeling) 5-hmC in native DNA has been reported, which conveniently distinguishes 5-hmC from 5-mC using simple and effective processes.