DNA methylation
hideDNA methylation is a type of chemical modification of DNA that can be inherited and subsequently removed without changing the original DNA sequence. As such, it is part of the epigenetic code and is also the best characterized epigenetic mechanism. Because methylation is a common capability of all viruses for self non-self identification, the epigenetic code could be a persistent remnant of ancient viral infection events.
DNA methylation involves the addition of a methyl group to DNA — for example, to the number 5 carbon of the cytosine pyrimidine ring — in this case with the specific effect of reducing gene expression. DNA methylation at the 5 position of cytosine has been found in every vertebrate examined. In adult somatic tissues, DNA methylation typically occurs in a CpG dinucleotide context; non-CpG methylation is prevalent in embryonic stem cells.
In plants, cytosines are methylated both symmetrically (CpG or CpNpG) and asymmetrically (CpNpNp), where N can be any nucleotide but guanine.
Research has suggested that long term memory storage in humans may be regulated by DNA methylation.
For more information about DNA methylation, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with dna methylation
Scientists show how hematopoietic stem cell development is regulated
Oct 06, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
During cell division, whether hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) will develop into new stem cells (self-renewal) or differentiate into other blood cells depends on a chemical process called DNA methylation. These were the findings ...
Study finds changes in DNA patterns are linked to prenatal smoke exposure
Aug 24, 2009 |
not rated yet |
2
A new study by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) has found that the life-long effects of maternal smoking during pregnancy may occur through specific changes in DNA ...
Researchers develop new, more-sensitive assay for detecting DNA methylation in colon cancer
Aug 16, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
A study published in this week's online issue of Nature Biotechnology, demonstrates a unique and highly sensitive method for detecting methylation-associated cancers.
Monitoring Cancer Cell Changes With Quantum Dots
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
Jul 23, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
One of the earliest events that changes a normal cell into a malignant one is known as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) hypermethylation, a biochemical alteration that inactivates critical tumor-suppressor genes. A team of investigators ...
Novel epigenetic markers of melanoma may herald new treatments for patients
Jun 29, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer, diagnosed in more than 50,000 new patients in the United States annually. While the rate of incidences continues to rise, survival rate has not improved and the race is on ...
Scientists identify key factor that controls HIV latency
Medicine & Health / HIV & AIDS
Jun 26, 2009 |
5 / 5 (3) |
0
Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes of Virology and Immunology (GIVI) have found another clue that may lead to eradication of HIV from infected patients who have been on antiretroviral therapy. A real cure for HIV has ...
New Method Gives Regenerative Medicine a Boost
Apr 22, 2009 |
5 / 5 (5) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Bioengineers at UC San Diego have developed a breakthrough method for sequencing-based methylation profiling, which could help fuel personalized regenerative medicine and even lead to more ...
New nucleotide could revolutionize epigenetics
Apr 16, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (6) |
0
Anyone who studied a little genetics in high school has heard of adenine, thymine, guanine and cytosine - the A,T,G and C that make up the DNA code. But those are not the whole story. The rise of epigenetics in the past decade ...
Colon cancer shuts down receptor that could shut it down
Apr 13, 2009 |
5 / 5 (10) |
0
Though a high-fiber diet has long been considered good for you and beneficial in staving off colon cancer, Medical College of Georgia researchers have discovered a reason why: roughage activates a receptor ...
'Experiment of nature' examines how mother's diet may impact on child's health
Feb 23, 2009 |
4 / 5 (1) |
0
Could our mother's diet at the time we are conceived set the course for our future health? This intriguing question is at the heart of a new study based on an "experiment of nature" being conducted by Wellcome Trust-funded ...
Newly found enzymes may play early role in cancer
Dec 24, 2008 |
2.5 / 5 (2) |
0
Researchers have discovered two enzymes that, when combined, could be involved in the earliest stages of cancer. Manipulating these enzymes genetically might lead to targeted therapies aimed at slowing or preventing the onset ...
