Applied Biosystems Targets Emerging DNA Methylation Research Applications With New Line of Products
NEW ORLEANS & FOSTER CITY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Researchers interested in the emerging area of DNA methylation have new software and reagent solutions to further their understanding of the role of this biochemical process in the genetic basis of complex disease
Applied Biosystems (NYSE:ABI – News), an Applera Corporation business, today introduced its methylSEQr(TM) Bisulfite Conversion Kit, a set of prepackaged reagents for rapid bisulfite conversion, and Methyl Primer Express® Software, a free software tool that rapidly automates the design of methylation-specific PCR or bisulfite sequencing primers. Together these products simplify applications such as bisulfite sequencing and fragment analysis in DNA methylation experiments.
DNA methylation is a chemical modification of DNA that plays an important role in suppressing gene expression. It occurs when a group of methyl molecules attaches to cytosine, one of the four bases that make up DNA. Abnormal DNA methylation can result in critical genes becoming silenced, leading to cancer development, accelerated aging and metabolic disease.
“DNA methylation is an emerging and rapidly growing research area in which scientists are seeking to understand the molecular changes underlying both health and disease,” said Mark Stevenson, president of the molecular and cell biology division of Applied Biosystems. “Using advanced technologies and reagents for DNA methylation research and other genetic analysis applications, researchers have the opportunity to greatly impact the development of new diagnostics and therapeutics for complex diseases, such as cancer.”
Methyl Primer Express® Software
The Methyl Primer Express® Software simplifies methylation-specific PCR and bisulfite sequencing by automating the primer design process. The intuitive user interface allows researchers to enter their target DNA sequence and simulate bisulfite conversion for methylated and unmethylated genomic DNA. This decreases time spent managing the challenges associated with non-specific primer amplification and mis-priming. The results generated by the software provide high quality sequencing and PCR designs that can be seamlessly integrated into follow-on experiments using Applied Biosystems flexible portfolio of DNA sequencing and fragment analysis solutions.
“With issues such as non-specific primer amplification and mis-priming, designing experiments for methylation-specific PCR and bisulfite sequencing PCR can be laborious and time-consuming,” said Manel Esteller Badosa, Ph.D., director of the Cancer Epigenetics Laboratory at the Spanish National Cancer Center and co-designer of the software. “Methyl Primer Express addresses this problem by providing a simple solution that automates the essential steps involved in designing sequence-specific DNA methylation experiments in less than five minutes.”
The new Methyl Primer Express® Software is available as a free download via the Web at www.appliedbiosystems.com/methylprimerexpress.
methylSEQr(TM) Bisulfite Conversion Kit
The Applied Biosystems methylSEQr(TM) Bisulfite Conversion Kit is a set of conveniently packaged bisulfite-conversion reagents that enables the comparison of sodium bisulfite treated DNA sequences with sequences from untreated genomic DNA. The kit uses a straightforward procedure that provides for precise identification of methylation patterns and forms the first step in an integrated three-step analysis workflow. PCR amplicons generated after bisulfite conversion can be sequenced directly or cloned, then sequenced.
Both products are on display at this week’s annual meeting of the American Society for Human Genetics (booth #201) in New Orleans, Louisiana. Attendees of the conference can also learn more about genome-wide DNA methylation analysis in a presentation by Dr. Alexander Meissner of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at Applied Biosystems’ Genetic Analysis Symposium, Tuesday, October 10 at 11:00 a.m. in Ballroom B at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside Hotel.
About Applera Corporation and Applied Biosystems
Applera Corporation consists of two operating groups. The Applied Biosystems Group serves the life science industry and research community by developing and marketing instrument-based systems, consumables, software, and services. Customers use these tools to analyze nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), small molecules, and proteins to make scientific discoveries and develop new pharmaceuticals. Applied Biosystems’ products also serve the needs of some markets outside of life science research, which we refer to as “applied markets,” such as the fields of: human identity testing (forensic and paternity testing); biosecurity, which refers to products needed in response to the threat of biological terrorism and other malicious, accidental, and natural biological dangers; and quality and safety testing, for example in food and the environment. Applied Biosystems is headquartered in Foster City, CA, and reported sales of over $1.9 billion during fiscal 2006. The Celera Genomics Group is primarily a molecular diagnostics business that is using proprietary genomics and proteomics discovery platforms to identify and validate novel diagnostic markers, and is developing diagnostic products based on these markers. Celera Genomics maintains a strategic alliance with Abbott Laboratories for the development and commercialization of molecular, or nucleic acid-based, diagnostic products, and it is also developing new diagnostic products outside of this alliance. Through its genomics and proteomics research efforts, Celera Genomics is also discovering and validating therapeutic targets, and it is seeking to develop therapeutic products based on these discovered targets through strategic partnerships. Information about Applera Corporation, including reports and other information filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is available at http://www.applera.com, or by telephoning 800.762.6923. Information about Applied Biosystems is available at http://www.appliedbiosystems.com/.
Copyright© 2006. Applera Corporation. All rights reserved. For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. Applera, Applied Biosystems, Celera and Primer Express are registered trademarks and Celera Genomics and methylSEQr are trademarks of Applera Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or certain other countries.
