Genetic Signatures publishes work on an engineered DNA polymerase for amplifying bisulphite treated nucleic acids

Dr Douglas Millar, Chief Scientific Officer of Genetic Signatures, has recently released a paper describing his work on directed enzyme evolution in collaboration with Dr Philipp Holliger, of the MRC laboratory for Molecular Biology in Cambridge UK.

The paper “A polymerase engineered for bisulfite sequencing” published in Nucleic Acids Res. describes 5D4, an engineered DNA polymerase, which displays a greatly enhanced ability to PCR amplify bisulfite-treated DNA, in particular from regions of high GC content, promising efficiency and sensitivity gains in bisulfite sequencing. The polymerase is compatible with standard PCR protocols (using Taq) and can be integrated seamlessly into current bisulfite sequencing workflows.

Genetic Signatures currently markets MethylEasy™ research use kits for DNA Bisulphite Modification. These kits were developed based on the DNA Bisulphite Modification method conceived by Dr G W Grigg and brought to practice by Dr Millar in conjunction with Dr M Frommer and colleagues [1]. DNA methylation has been shown to be important in embryonic development, gene regulation, chromatin organisation, genomic imprinting and human diseases, especially cancer.

Dr John Melki CEO of Genetic Signatures has said “This work will no doubt lead to improvements in the efficiency and sensitivity of bisulfite sequencing. The science behind MethylEasy™ research use kits for DNA Bisulphite Modification is also what drives Genetic Signatures 3Base™ and EasyScreen™ technology for infectious disease detection. Dr Millar and his team at Genetic Signatures deep understanding of this science is an asset to The Company.“

[1] Frommer, M., et. al., Proc.Nat.Acad.Sci.USA, 1992, 89, 1827-1831.