With the draft release of the human genome in 2000, the focus in fundamental & medical research has shifted from genetics to epigenetics. Epigenetics describes how the DNA sequences are read and interpreted by the machinery of the cell. Epigenetics includes DNA modifications e.g DNA (hydroxy)methylation, the histone code e.g. histone compositions and modification, protein binding e.g. transcription factors, chromatin accessibility, eg. DNAse hypersensitivity and inter and intra chromosomal interactions. All these features can affect gene activity thereby causing malfunction and disease. NGS technology has proven succesfull in identifying and understanding basic epigenetic processes and in unraveling epigenetic causes resulting in disease. Biomics offers a number of application to monitor, analyse and interpret the entire scala of epigenetic features.

• For gene activity analyses using RNA as readout we offer two services: expression analyses on Micro-array and RNA-sequencing platforms
• DNA binding and chromatin association of proteins such as histones, polymerases, transcription factors and their modifications can be analyzed using our flexible ChIP-sequencing service although analyses using dedicated arrays on our Micro-Array platforms are also possible
• Questions concerning DNA (hydroxy)methylation can be tackled using specific antibodies or binding domains in application such as Methyl-cap-sequencing and ChIP-sequencing or alternatively by dedicated methylation array
• Application concerning chromatin & chromosome structure and long range DNA interactions are covered by our Chromatin Conformation Sequencing service
• For solutions tailored to other epigenetic questions, please contact us for possibities

Clients Question: function and mechanism of a transcription factor crucial for red blood cell differentiation.

• ChIP-sequencing, binding site and motif analyses of the Myb proto oncogene, a key factor in red blood cell differentiation
• Chromatin Conformation Capture -Sequencing to study the changes in the Myb chromatin hub during differentiation
• Scientific Publication: Stadhouders et al