INVESTIGATING THE IMPACT OF INTRAGENIC DNA METHYLATION ON GENE Biology Diagrams The spectrum of effects produced by DNA methylation ranges from inhibition to enhancement of gene expression. Here basic terms and concepts in the study of DNA methylation are introduced. In DNA methylation pathways. A family of DNA methyltransferases (Dnmts) catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group from S-adenyl methionine (SAM) to the fifth carbon of cytosine residue to form 5-methylcytosine (5mC).(a) Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b are the de novo Dnmts and transfer methyl groups (red) onto naked DNA. (b) Dnmt1 is the maintenance Dnmt and maintains DNA methylation pattern during replication. Other gene-neighbour effects like tissue-specific DNA methylation of small protein-encoding genes embedded in an intron of a larger dissimilar gene or of a tissue-specific enhancer in one gene linked to expression of the neighbouring gene . Figure 1. Open in a new tab
While both DNA methylation and histone methylation involve the addition of methyl groups, their effects on gene regulation differ significantly. DNA Methylation Processes DNA methylation involves the addition of a methyl group (-CH₃) to the cytosine base of DNA, primarily at CpG dinucleotides. Side Effects and Complications of DNA Methylation. While DNA methylation is vital for normal cellular operations, abnormal patterns can have detrimental effects. Short-term impacts include errors in gene expression that may lead to mild phenotypic changes. Long-term, these changes can accumulate, leading to severe complications such as cancer Effects of DNA methylation. DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification, i.e., heritable change in DNA without any modifications to the sequence of DNA. It alters expression of a gene during cell differentiation and causes a change that is heritable. Methylated modifications of DNA occur during the mitotic or meiotic division of the cell .
DNA methylation in mammalian development and disease Biology Diagrams
DNA methylation has been employed for cancer detection for many decades, but new sequencing-based liquid biopsies that utilize cell-free DNA released from apoptotic and/or dying tumour cells into "DNA methylation in a normal cell vs. in a cancer cell"By Ssridhar17 - Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia About the Author: Lakna Lakna, a graduate in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, is a Molecular Biologist and has a broad and keen interest in the discovery of nature related things.
