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Updated: Mar 12, 2026

Continuous Fluorescence-Based Endonuclease-Coupled DNA Methylation Assay to Screen for DNA Methyltransferase Inhibitors
Published on: August 5, 2022
Domain Structure of the Dnmt1, Dnmt3a, and Dnmt3b DNA Methyltransferases
Shoji Tajima1, Isao Suetake2,3, Kohei Takeshita4,5
1Laboratory of Epigenetics, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, 3-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka, 565-0871, Japan. tajima@protein.osaka-u.ac.jp.
Abstract:
In mammals, three DNA methyltransferases, Dnmt1, Dnmt3a, and Dnmt3b, have been identified. Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b are responsible for establishing DNA methylation patterns produced through their de novo-type DNA methylation activity in implantation stage embryos and during germ cell differentiation. Dnmt3-like (Dnmt3l), which is a member of the Dnmt3 family but does not possess DNA methylation activity, was reported to be indispensable for global methylation in germ cells. Once the DNA methylation patterns are established, maintenance-type DNA methyltransferase Dnmt1 faithfully propagates them to the next generation via replication. All Dnmts possess multiple domains, and in this chapter, the structures and functions of these domains are described.
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