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Updated: May 19, 2026

Continuous Fluorescence-Based Endonuclease-Coupled DNA Methylation Assay to Screen for DNA Methyltransferase Inhibitors
Published on: August 5, 2022
New cytosine derivatives as inhibitors of DNA methylation
Beata Plitta1, Ewelina Adamska, Małgorzata Giel-Pietraszuk
1Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Polish Academy of Sciences, Z. Noskowskiego 12/14, 61-704 Poznań, Poland.
Abstract:
DNA cytosine methylation catalyzed by DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) is an epigenetic method of gene expression regulation and development. Changes in methylation pattern lead to carcinogenesis. Inhibition of DNMT1 activity could be a good strategy of safe and efficient epigenetic therapy. In this work, we present a novel group of cytosine analogs as inhibitors of DNA methylation. We show new methods of synthesis and their effect on in vitro reaction of DNA methylation. Almost all of analyzed compounds inhibit DNA methyltransferase activity in the competitive manner. K(i) values for the most potent compound 4-N-furfuryl-5,6-dihydroazacytosines is 0.7 μM. These compounds cause also a decrease of 5-methylcytosine (m(5)C) level in DNA of mammalian HeLa and HEK293 cells.
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