DNA Analysis by Restriction Enzyme (DARE) enables concurrent genomic and epigenomic characterization of single cells

Abstract

Genome-wide profiling of copy number alterations and DNA methylation in single cells could enable detailed investigation into the genomic and epigenomic heterogeneity of complex cell populations. However, current methods to do this require complex sample processing and cleanup steps, lack consistency, or are biased in their genomic representation. Here, we describe a novel single-tube enzymatic method, DNA Analysis by Restriction Enzyme (DARE), to perform deterministic whole genome amplification while preserving DNA methylation information. This method was evaluated on low amounts of DNA and single cells, and provides accurate copy number aberration calling and representative DNA methylation measurement across the whole genome. Single-cell DARE is an attractive and scalable approach for concurrent genomic and epigenomic characterization of cells in a heterogeneous population.