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Updated: Aug 13, 2026

Sequence-specific Labeling of Nucleic Acids and Proteins with Methyltransferases and Cofactor Analogues
Published on: November 22, 2014
Direct transfer of extended groups from synthetic cofactors by DNA methyltransferases
Christian Dalhoff1, Grazvydas Lukinavicius, Saulius Klimasăuskas
1Institute of Organic Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Landoltweg 1, D-52056 Aachen, Germany.
Abstract:
S-Adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet) is the major methyl donor for biological methylation reactions catalyzed by methyltransferases. We report the first chemical synthesis of AdoMet analogs with extended carbon chains replacing the methyl group and their evaluation as cofactors for all three classes of DNA methyltransferases. Extended groups containing a double or triple bond in the beta position to the sulfonium center were transferred onto DNA in a catalytic and sequence-specific manner, demonstrating a high utility of such synthetic cofactors for targeted functionalization of biopolymers.
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