The metabolism of 5-methylcytosine residues in DNA.

摘要

The fundamental biochemical processes of 5-methylcytosine(5-mC) synthesis, maintenance, conversion and removaldetermine the time and spatial pattern of DNA methylation. Thishas a strong effect on a plethora of physiological aspects ofcellular metabolism. While the presence of 5-mC within thepromoter region can silence gene expression, its derivative –5-hydroxymethylcytosine exerts an opposite effect.Dysregulations in the metabolism of 5-mC lead to an altered DNAmethylation pattern which is linked with a disrupted epigenome,and are considered to play a significant part in the etiology ofseveral human diseases. A of recent knowledge aboutthe molecular processes participating in DNA methylation patternshaping is provided here.