Abstract: Methods for producing a target nucleic acid molecule from DNA encoding a gene comprising treating DNA from a higher organism with an agent that modifies cytosine to form derivative nucleic acid; and forming a modified nucleic acid having a reduced total number of cytosines compared with the corresponding untreated DNA, wherein the modified nucleic acid molecule includes the target nucleic acid sequence.

Abstract: A method for determining the methylation status of a potential methylation site in genomic nucleic acid comprising treating genomic nucleic acid with an agent which modifies cytosine bases but does not modify 5methyl-cytosine bases under conditions to form a.

Abstract: A method for detecting the presence of a target nucleic acid in a sample including treating a sample containing nucleic acid with an agent that modifies unmethylated cytosine; providing to the treated sample a detector ligand in the form of an intercalating nucleic acid (INA) capable of binding to a target region of nucleic acid, and allowing sufficient time for the detector ligand to bind to the target nucleic acid, and detecting binding of the detector ligand to nucleic acid molecule in the sample to indicate the presence of the target nucleic acid.

Abstract: A method for altering a characteristic or state of a cell, or reprogramming a cell, comprising treating a first cell type with an agent capable of altering a characteristic or state in a cell or reprogramming a cell, and determining the degree of alteration of the treated cell by measuring the methylation signature within the genome of the treated cell, wherein a given methylation signature is indicative of an altered characteristic or state of the treated cell. The preferred substance for treating the first cell is a cellular extract, lysate or component from a second cell type, the second cell type having a desired characteristic, or being the desired cell type the first cell type is to be reprogrammed to. The examples show the methylation state of a fibroblast cell being reprogrammed to that of an immune system T cell.