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Comment
. 2011 Dec;21(12):1649-51.
doi: 10.1038/cr.2011.140. Epub 2011 Aug 23.

Active DNA demethylation by oxidation and repair

Zhizhong Gong  1 , Jian-Kang Zhu
Affiliations
Comment

Active DNA demethylation by oxidation and repair

Zhizhong Gong et al. Cell Res. 2011 Dec.
No abstract available

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
DNA demethylation in animals and plants. Cytosine methylation (5mC) is catalyzed by DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs). In mammals (red color), 5mC can be hydroxylated by TETs to become 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), which can be further oxidized to produce 5fC and 5caC. 5hmC can be deaminated to 5hmU by AID/APOBEC deaminases. 5hmU or 5caC is removed by the TDG DNA glycosylase. In zebrafish (blue color), 5mC is deaminated to thymine (T) by AID/APOBEC2a/b, and then the T is removed by the MDB4 DNA glycosylase. In plants (green color), the ROS1 subfamily of DNA glycosylases directly removes 5mC. The gap can be refilled by unmethylated cytosine through the BER pathway. In mammals, 5hmC is a key intermediate for oxidative DNA demethylation. In addition, 5hmC plays important roles in passive DNA demethylation and gene regulation.
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References

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