In the fields of epigenetics and epigenomics, DNA methylation has been drawn a special attention because of its close correlation to human development and carcinogenesis.

DNA甲基化已经成为表观遗传学和表观基因组学的重要研究内容，人类表观基因组计划的最终目标是绘制出人类基因组中甲基化可变位点图谱。