Methylated CpG Island Amplification and Microarray (MCAM) for High-Throughput Analysis of DNA Methylation

INTRODUCTION

This protocol describes the use of methylated CpG island amplification (MCA) in combination with a microarray platform to analyze genome-wide DNA methylation in a high-throughput fashion. In this approach, termed MCAM, methylated CpG islands are selectively targeted using oligonucleotide adaptors after two rounds of digestion with a combination of methylation-sensitive and methylation-insensitive nucleases. They are then amplified using PCR. The resulting amplicons, representing the methylated fraction of the genome, are labeled with fluorochromes. Subsequently, a comparative hybridization of reference and test samples (typically normal and tumor DNA specimens) is done on a microarray platform.