Active DNA Demethylation by DNMT3A and DNMT3B - Mechanistic Aspect and In Vivo Evidence
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ABSTRACT: The DNA methylation program is at the bottom layer of the epigenetic regulatory cascade of vertebrate development. While the methylation at C-5 position of the cytosine (C) residues on the vertebrate genomes is achieved through the catalytic activities of the DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs), the conversion of the methylated cytosine (5mC) could be accomplished by the combined actions of the TET enzyme and DNA repair. Interestingly, it has been found recently that the mouse and human DNMTs also possess active DNA demethylation activity in vitro in a Ca2+- and redox condition-dependent manner. We report here the study of tracking down the fate of the methyl group removed from 5mC on DNA during in vitro demethylation reaction by mouse de novo DNMTs, i.e. DNMT3A and DNMT3B. Remarkably, the methyl group becomes covalently linked to the catalytic cysteines utilized by the two de novo DNMTs in their DNA methylation reactions. Thus, the forward and reverse reactions of DNA methylations by the DNMTs may utilize the same cysteine residue(s) as the active site despite of their distinctive pathways. Secondly, we demonstrate that active DNA demethylation of a heavily methylated GFP reporter plasmid by ectopically expressed DNMT3A or DNMT3B occurs in vivo in transfected human HEK 293 cells in culture. Furthermore, the extent of DNA demethylation by the DNMTs in this cell-based system is affected by Ca2+ homeostasis as well as by mutation of their putative active cysteines. These findings substantiate the roles of the vertebrate DNMTs as double-edged swords in DNA methylation-demethylation in vitro as well as in a cellular context.
INSTRUMENT(S): TripleTOF 5600
ORGANISM(S): Mus Musculus (mouse)
SUBMITTER: Miao-Hsia Lin
LAB HEAD: Miao-Hsia Lin
PROVIDER: PXD003401 | Pride | 2022-02-24
REPOSITORIES: Pride
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