Recently, researchers at the University of California, San Diego have developed a program that can predict the location of epigenetic modifications based on DNA sequences. They used this program to analyze human embryonic cells. Related research papers were published in the recently published journal Nature-Method.

John Whitaker, the first author of the paper, said: "Although our cells perform different functions, they all have the same genetic blueprint. Skin cells provide protection and nerve cells send signals. There are differences between them because different genes are activated or silenced. "

The activation patterns of these genes are controlled by epigenetic modification. Epigenetic modification can determine whether a gene in a specific cell is read without changing the DNA sequence.

The researchers analyzed the sequences with and without epigenetic modifications and determined the DNA patterns associated with these modifications. On this basis, they developed the software Epigram, which is an analysis software to predict histone modification and DNA methylation patterns through DNA motifs.

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