Abstract
DNA-methylation patterns are important for regulating genome functions, and are determined by the enzymatic processes of methylation and demethylation. The demethylating enzyme has now been identified: a mammalian complementary DNA encodes a methyl-CpG-binding domain, bears a demethylase activity that transforms methylated cytosine bases to cytosine, and demethylates a plasmid when the cDNA is translated or transiently transfected into human embryonal kidney cells in vitro. The discovery of this DNA demethylase should provide a basis for the molecular and developmental analysis of the role of DNA methylation and demethylation.
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Acknowledgements
We thank B. ten Oever and H.-Y. Shiu for technical assistance and O. A. Mamer for help with mass spectrometry. This research was supported by the National Cancer Institute of Canada.
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Bhattacharya, S., Ramchandani, S., Cervoni, N. et al. A mammalian protein with specific demethylase activity for mCpG DNA. Nature 397, 579–583 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/17533
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/17533
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