Bisulfite sequencing infers cytosine modification from differential chemical conversion before DNA sequencing. Under the relevant chemistry, unmodified cytosine is converted to uracil and is subsequently read as thymine, while 5-methylcytosine is retained as cytosine. Incomplete conversion, sequence coverage and strand assignment affect interpretation. Conventional bisulfite sequencing does not by itself separate 5-methylcytosine from every other conversion-resistant modification, so its signal requires a stated chemical scope. [ref]
A genomic sequencing protocol that yields a positive display of 5-methylcytosine residues in individual DNA strands by M. Frommer and others. Frommer and others, 1992, abstract: differential conversion and single-strand methylation display
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Bisulfite sequencing is a method used to determine the methylation status of DNA, particularly focusing on the conversion of cytosine residues in DNA. This technique exploits the unique properties of sodium bisulfite, which converts unmethylated cytosines into uracils (which are subsequently treated as thymidines during PCR amplification), while leaving methylated cytosines unchanged.
