FASTmC: A Suite of Predictive Models for Nonreference-Based Estimations of DNA Methylation

Abstract

We describe a suite of predictive models, coined FASTmC, for nonreference, cost-effective exploration and comparative analysis of context-specific DNA methylation levels. Accurate estimations of true DNA methylation levels can be obtained from as few as several thousand short-reads generated from whole-genome bisulfite sequencing. These models make high-resolution time course or developmental and large diversity studies practical regardless of species, genome size, and availability of a reference genome.

Keywords

• epigenetics
• DNA methylation
• whole-genome bisulfite sequencing
• methylome
• modeling