Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Osteoarthritis Pain Model Induced by Intra-Articular Injection of Mono-Iodoacetate in Rats
08:09

Osteoarthritis Pain Model Induced by Intra-Articular Injection of Mono-Iodoacetate in Rats

Published on: May 20, 2020

9.9K

ALKBH5-induced demethylation of mono- and dimethylated adenosine

Timm T Ensfelder1, Matthias Q Kurz1, Katharina Iwan1

  • 1Center for Integrated Protein Science, Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Butenandtstraße 5-13, 81377 Munich, Germany. Thomas.carell@lmu.de.

Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
|July 17, 2018
PubMed

Insights

The enzyme ALKBH5, known for removing methyl groups from messenger RNA (mRNA), also demethylates a different modified base, dimethylated adenosine (m62A), found in ribosomal RNA (rRNA). This expands our understanding of RNA base modification regulation.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • RNA Biology

Background:

  • RNA modifications, such as N6-methyladenosine (m6A), play crucial roles in regulating gene expression and cellular homeostasis.
  • Demethylation of m6A is primarily attributed to the α-ketoglutarate-dependent oxidase ALKBH5.
  • Dimethylated adenosine (m62A) is a non-canonical base modification found in ribosomal RNA (rRNA).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the enzymatic activity of ALKBH5 beyond its known role in m6A demethylation.
  • To determine if ALKBH5 can act on other methylated adenosine derivatives, specifically m62A in rRNA.

Main Methods:

  • Biochemical assays to test ALKBH5 activity on synthetic RNA substrates containing m62A.
  • Analysis of ALKBH5's interaction with rRNA.
  • In vitro demethylation assays.

Main Results:

  • ALKBH5 demonstrates demethylase activity on dimethylated adenosine (m62A).
  • ALKBH5 is capable of removing the methyl groups from m62A in ribosomal RNA.
  • This finding reveals a novel function for ALKBH5 in regulating rRNA modifications.

Conclusions:

  • ALKBH5 possesses a broader substrate specificity than previously recognized, acting on both m6A and m62A.
  • The enzyme plays a role in the homeostasis of both mRNA and rRNA modifications.
  • This discovery opens new avenues for research into RNA base modification dynamics and their regulatory roles.

More Related Videos

Testing Acetylcholine Followed by Adenosine for Invasive Diagnosis of Coronary Vasomotor Disorders05:58

Testing Acetylcholine Followed by Adenosine for Invasive Diagnosis of Coronary Vasomotor Disorders

Published on: February 3, 2021

4.3K
Methods to Identify the NMR Resonances of the 13C-Dimethyl N-terminal Amine on Reductively Methylated Proteins13:59

Methods to Identify the NMR Resonances of the 13C-Dimethyl N-terminal Amine on Reductively Methylated Proteins

Published on: December 12, 2013

6.6K

Related Concept Videos

Induced-fit Model01:13

Induced-fit Model

Most chemical reactions in cells require enzymes—biological catalysts that speed up the reaction without being consumed or permanently changed. They reduce the activation energy needed to convert the reactants into products. Enzymes are proteins, that usually work by binding to a substrate—a reactant molecule that they act upon.
Enzymes exhibit substrate specificity, meaning that they can only bind to certain substrates. This is mainly determined by the shape and chemical...
89.4K
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells01:13

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different types of cells. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are post-mitotic—that is, they no longer divide. However, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they “de-differentiate” and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are also pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are therefore...
28.1K
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells01:06

Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that divide and produce different cell types. Ordinarily, cells that have differentiated into a specific cell type are terminally differentiated; however, scientists have found a way to reprogram these mature cells so that they dedifferentiate and return to an unspecialized, proliferative state. These cells are pluripotent like embryonic stem cells—able to produce all cell types—and are called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs).
Somatic...
5.6K
Induced Electric Dipoles01:28

Induced Electric Dipoles

A permanent electric dipole orients itself along an external electric field. This rotation can be quantified by defining the potential energy because the external torque does work in rotating it. Then, the potential energy is minimum at the parallel configuration and maximum at the antiparallel configuration. While the former is a stable equilibrium, the latter is an unstable equilibrium.
Since the absolute value of potential energy holds no physical meaning, its zero value can be chosen as per...
4.8K
Induced Electric Fields01:23

Induced Electric Fields

The fact that emfs are induced in circuits implies that work is being done on the conduction electrons in the wires. What can possibly be the source of this work? We know that it’s neither a battery nor a magnetic field, as a battery does not have to be present in a circuit where current is induced, and magnetic fields never do any work on moving charges. The source of the work is in fact an electric field that is induced in the wires. For example, if a stationary conductor is placed in a...
4.6K
Spontaneous and Induced Mutations01:30

Spontaneous and Induced Mutations

Spontaneous mutations arise infrequently during DNA replication due to errors in the process. A key factor behind these errors is tautomeric shifts in nitrogenous bases, where bases transition from keto to enol forms or amino to imino forms. This shift can alter base-pairing rules, leading to mutations. Additionally, reactive oxygen species (ROS) arising from aerobic metabolism can damage DNA, resulting in depurination (loss of a purine base) or depyrimidination (loss of a pyrimidine base).
2.3K