Cloning of the human DNA methyltransferase gene
- McGill Univ., Montreal, Quebec (Canada)
During the process of carcinogenesis it has been observed that DNA methylation is deregulated. At least two levels of regulation of the mouse DNA MeTase have been shown: at the transcriptional level, via its promoter, and at the post transcriptional level in a cell cycle dependent fashion. The sequence of the complete DNA MeTase gene and identification of the promoter has not yet been reported. Using a probe generated by PCR of the human DNA MeTase cDNA, a human genomic library was screened and a clone of approximately 22 kilobases (kb) was isolated. It was found that this clone contains the complete coding sequence of the DNA MeTase enzyme. Sequence analysis along with restriction enzyme digests have allowed us to construct a partial map of the physical structure of the human DNA MeTase gene. This partial structure has already revealed some interesting aspects related to the genetic evolution of the human DNA MeTase. First, the proposed catalytic domain of the human DNA MeTase is extremely homologous to all other cytosine DNA MeTases, even to those that are found in bacteria, and this catalytic domain is conserved within one complete exon in the human gene. This is very different from the structure of the 5{prime} region of the gene, which is fragmented into numerous little introns and exons. Within one of the small introns that have been identified, a trinucleotide repeat of ATG occurs (9 times in a row), and this repeat is upstream of the proposed start site of translation. Trinucleotide repeat expansion has been shown to be a genetic hot spot for mutation, but even more interesting is the nature of the repeat, ATG, which is the translation start codon; this repeat appears to be in frame with the {open_quotes}normal{close_quotes} coding sequence, the implications being that possible alternative methyltransferases may be translated under certain conditions such as cancer.
- OSTI ID:
- 133861
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-941009-; ISSN 0002-9297; TRN: 95:005313-0595
- Journal Information:
- American Journal of Human Genetics, Vol. 55, Issue Suppl.3; Conference: 44. annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics, Montreal (Canada), 18-22 Oct 1994; Other Information: PBD: Sep 1994
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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