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. 2009 Jun;5(6):400-2.
doi: 10.1038/nchembio.172.

Cytosine-5-methyltransferases add aldehydes to DNA

Zita Liutkeviciute  1 , Grazvydas Lukinavicius, Viktoras Masevicius, Dalia Daujotyte, Saulius Klimasauskas
Affiliations

Cytosine-5-methyltransferases add aldehydes to DNA

Zita Liutkeviciute et al. Nat Chem Biol. 2009 Jun.

Abstract

Targeted methylation of cytosine residues by S-adenosylmethionine-dependent DNA methyltransferases modulates gene expression in vertebrates. Here we show that cytosine-5-methyltransferases catalyze reversible covalent addition of exogenous aliphatic aldehydes to their target residues in DNA, thus yielding corresponding 5-hydroxyalkylcytosines. Such atypical enzymatic reactions with non-cofactor-like substrates open new ways for sequence-specific derivatization of DNA and demonstrate enzymatic exchange of 5-hydroxymethyl groups on cytosine in support of an oxidative mechanism of DNA demethylation.

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