The MethylFlash¢â Methylated DNA Quantification Kit (Colorimetric) is a complete set of optimized buffers and reagents to colorimetrically quantify global DNA methylation by specifically measuring levels of 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) in an ELISA-like microplate-based format. Compared to LUMA or LINE-1, Alu, and LTR-based assays, MethylFlash¢â technology directly quantifies actual global DNA methylation.
Product Features The MethylFlash¢â Methylated DNA Quantification Kit (Colorimetric) is a further refinement of our previous Methylamp¢â global DNA methylation quantification kits by simplifying the workflow and improving the consistency of results. It uses an innovative method to enable background signals to be extremely low, eliminating the plate drying and blocking steps. Compared to chromatography-based methods such as HPLC or mass spectrometry, this product provides a cost-effective way to accurately measure levels of 5-methylcytosine. The kit has the following advantages and features:
Colorimetric assay with easy-to-follow steps for convenience and speed. The entire procedure can be finished within 4 hours.
Innovative kit composition enables background signals to be extremely low, which eliminates the need for plate blocking and allows the assay to be simple, accurate, reliable, and consistent.
High sensitivity, of which the detection limit can be as low as 0.2 ng of methylated DNA and accepts as low as 50 ng of input genomic DNA.
Optimized antibody and enhancer solutions allow high specificity to 5mC, with no cross-reactivity to unmethylated cytosine and no or negligible cross-reactivity to hydroxymethylcytosine within the indicated concentration range of the sample DNA.
Universal positive and negative controls are included, which are suitable for quantifying methylated DNA from any species.
Strip-well microplate format makes the assay flexible: manual or high throughput analysis.
Principle & Procedure The MethylFlash¢â Methylated DNA Quantification Kit (Colorimetric) contains all reagents necessary for the quantification of global DNA methylation. In this assay, DNA is bound to strip wells that are specifically treated to have a high DNA affinity. The methylated fraction of DNA is detected using capture and detection antibodies and then quantified through an ELISA-like reaction by reading the absorbance in a microplate spectrophotometer at 450 nm. The amount of methylated DNA is proportional to the OD intensity measured, which can be calculated with the kit's included formulas for relative methylation status of two different DNA samples or absolute quantification of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) using a standard curve.
Easy, Fast, and Flexible The entire colorimetric assay has easy-to-follow steps for convenience and speed, which can be completed in 4 hours. The strip-well microplate format allows for a flexible assay in manual or high throughput analysis. Universal positive and negative controls are included with the kit for quantifying methylated DNA from any species such as mammals, plants, fungi, bacteria, and viruses.
Safe and Convenient All the needed reagents, including negative controls and positive controls, for quantification of global DNA methylation are conveniently packaged in the kit. The direct colorimetric quantification of DNA samples replaces obsolete or inferior methods and eliminates the need for DNA digestion/denaturation, radioactivity, extraction, or chromatography.
Highly Sensitive and Specific The novel procedure and proprietary kit compositions allow for accurate quantification of methylated DNA to be achieved with high sensitivity and specificity. The detection limit of the input DNA can be as low as 0.2 ng of methylated DNA.
Comparison of Available ELISA-based Global DNA Methylation Assay Methods
MethylFlash(Colorimetric)
Competitor Z
Competitor C
Assay Principle
Direct ELISA
Direct ELISA
Indirect ELISA
Format
96-well plate
96-well plate
96-well plate
Sensitivity
Excellent detection limit: 0.2 ng of 5-mC DNA
Good detection limit: >0.5 ng of 5-mC DNA
Very poor detection limit: >1000 ng of 5-mC DNA
S/N Ratio
>20 with very low background
<4 with high background
N/A*
Procedural Convenience
No need for plate blocking and denaturation of DNA
Requires plate blocking and DNA denaturation
Requires plate blocking, DNA digestion, and antibody competitive incubation in an additional plate
Protocol Time
<4 hr
<4 hr
>8 hr
DNA Type & Species
Universal for any species, both ssDNA and dsDNA
Human and mouse ssDNA only
Various species
Specificity
Specific to 5-mC only
Cross-reaction to 5-hmC
N/A*
Quantitation Type
Both relative and absolute quantification
Relative
Relative
Standard Control
Stable, quantitative in absolute amount of 5-mC, and can be universally used for any species
Unstable, cannot be quantitative in amount, and can only be used for human or mouse
N/A*
Minimum Input Amount
50 ng
100 ng
1000 ng
Accuracy of Detection
High, stable and quantified standard control. Proven close correlation with LC-MS analysis by users
Unclear, unstable and un-quantified standard control
N/A*
% 5-mC calculation
Simple
Complicated
Not Provided
Patented Method
Yes
No
No
Popularity
Very high published citation count
Low published citation count
Low published citation count
Support Expertise
Since 2006
Since 2013
Since 2011
* Insufficient information provided by datasheet or product failed to produce data to make conclusive determination
Fig. 1. Schematic procedure for the MethylFlash¢â Methylated DNA Quantification Kit (Colorimetric).
Fig. 2. Demonstration of high sensitivity and specificity of methylated DNA (5mC) detection achieved by the MethylFlash¢â kit. Synthetic unmethylated DNA (contains 50% of cytosine) and methylated DNA (contains 50% of 5-methylcytosine) were added into the assay wells at different concentrations and then measured with the MethylFlash¢â Methylated DNA Quantification Kit (Colorimetric).
Fig. 3. 5-mC content levels in various sample types measured by MethylFlash¢â technology versus HPLC-MS/MS, demonstrating a reliable correlation between the two techniques.