Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 25, 2025

Immunostaining for DNA Modifications: Computational Analysis of Confocal Images
Published on: September 7, 2017
Methyl-Metabolite Depletion Elicits Adaptive Responses to Support Heterochromatin Stability and Epigenetic
Spencer A Haws1, Deyang Yu2, Cunqi Ye3
1Department of Biomolecular Chemistry, SMPH, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA; Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53715, USA.
Abstract:
S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) is the methyl-donor substrate for DNA and histone methyltransferases that regulate epigenetic states and subsequent gene expression. This metabolism-epigenome link sensitizes chromatin methylation to altered SAM abundance, yet the mechanisms that allow organisms to adapt and protect epigenetic information during life-experienced fluctuations in SAM availability are unknown. We identified a robust response to SAM depletion that is highlighted by preferential cytoplasmic and nuclear mono-methylation of H3 Lys 9 (H3K9) at the expense of broad losses in histone di- and tri-methylation. Under SAM-depleted conditions, H3K9 mono-methylation preserves heterochromatin stability and supports global epigenetic persistence upon metabolic recovery. This unique chromatin response was robust across the mouse lifespan and correlated with improved metabolic health, supporting a significant role for epigenetic adaptation to SAM depletion in vivo. Together, these studies provide evidence for an adaptive response that enables epigenetic persistence to metabolic stress.
More Related Videos
06:07Continuous Fluorescence-Based Endonuclease-Coupled DNA Methylation Assay to Screen for DNA Methyltransferase Inhibitors
Published on: August 5, 2022
07:50Immunohistochemical Detection of 5-Methylcytosine and 5-Hydroxymethylcytosine in Developing and Postmitotic Mouse Retina
Published on: August 29, 2018
Related Concept Videos
Epigenetic Regulation
X-chromosome...
Epigenetic Regulation
Heterochromatin
Constitutive heterochromatin: It is a highly compact region of chromatin that is mostly concentrated in the centromere and telomere. Unlike euchromatin, the amino acid at...
Abnormal Proliferation
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...
Mismatch Repair
The Mutator Protein Family Plays a Key Role in DNA Mismatch Repair
The human genome has more than 3 billion base pairs of DNA per cell. Prior to cell division, that vast amount of genetic...