Article
Histone tails regulate DNA methylation by allosterically activating de novo methyltransferase.
Cell research - 1 Aug 2011
Li Bin-Zhong, Huang Zheng, Cui Qing-Yan, Song Xue-Hui, Du Lin, Jeltsch Albert, Chen Ping, Li Guohong, Li En, Xu Guo-Liang
Abstract excerpt
Cytosine methylation of genomic DNA controls gene expression and maintains genome stability. How a specific DNA sequence is targeted for methylation by a methyltransferase is largely unknown. Here, we show that histone H3 tails lacking lysine 4 (K4) methylation function as an allosteric activator for methyltransferase Dnmt3a by binding to its plant homeodomain (PHD). In vitro, histone H3 peptides stimulated the...
Topics
- Allosteric Regulation
- Animals
- Cell Line
- Chromatin Immunoprecipitation
- DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases
- DNA Methylation
- DNA Methyltransferase 3A
- Embryonic Stem Cells
- Enzyme Activation
- Histones