Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 3, 2026

Antibody-Free Assay for RNA Methyltransferase Activity Analysis
Published on: July 9, 2019
Methyltransferases prefer monomer over core-trimmed nucleosomes as in vitro substrates
Yong Jiang1, Jessica L Schneck, Maggie Grimes
1Department of Biological Reagents and Assay Development, GlaxoSmithKline, Collegeville, PA 19426, USA.
Abstract:
Epigenetics is an area of increasing interest for drug discovery, driving the need for assays that use nucleosome substrates. Our studies showed that SUV39H1, a histone lysine methyltransferase, and Dnmt3b/Dnmt3L, a DNA methyltransferase, both exhibited approximately five times more activity on monomer nucleosomes than on DNA-core-trimmed nucleosomes in a scintillation proximity assay (SPA). The methyltransferases recognize and have a preference for nucleosomes with longer DNA strands. Our findings suggest that the use of monomer nucleosomes as substrates using SPA technology could lead to more robust screening assays and potentially more specific small molecule inhibitors of epigenetic enzymes.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Phase II Reactions: Methylation Reactions
The mechanism of methylation unfolds in two stages. The first stage sees a methyltransferase enzyme facilitating the transfer of a methyl group from S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) to the substrate, forming S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH). The second stage involves further metabolism of SAH into homocysteine, which can be recycled...
Nucleosome Remodeling
Nucleosome remodeling complex
Eukaryotic cells have specialized enzymes called ATP-dependent nucleosome remodeling enzymes. These enzymes...
The Nucleosome Core Particle
Nucleosomes, paradoxically, perform two opposite functions simultaneously. On the one hand, their primary aim is to protect the delicate DNA strands from physical damage and help achieve a higher compaction ratio. On the other hand, they must allow polymerase enzymes to access histone-bound DNA during...
The Nucleosome Core Particle
The paradox
Nucleosomes, paradoxically, perform two opposite functions simultaneously. On the one hand, their main responsibility is to protect the delicate DNA strands from physical damage and help achieve a higher compaction ratio. While on the other hand, they must allow polymerase enzymes to access DNA...
Biosynthesis of Nucleic Acids
Eukaryotic Transcription Inhibitors
Eukaryotic transcription inhibitors usually contain two distinct domains, a DNA...

