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Updated: Nov 8, 2025

Sequence-specific Labeling of Nucleic Acids and Proteins with Methyltransferases and Cofactor Analogues
Published on: November 22, 2014
Enzyme-mediated bioorthogonal technologies: catalysts, chemoselective reactions and recent methyltransferase
1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, Lexington, KY 40536, United States.
Abstract:
Transferases have emerged as among the best catalysts for enzyme-mediated bioorthogonal functional group installation to advance innovative in vitro, cell-based and in vivo chemical biology applications. This review introduces the key considerations for selecting enzyme catalysts and chemoselective reactions most amenable to bioorthogonal platform development and highlights relevant key technology development and applications for one ubiquitous transferase subclass - methyltransferases (MTs). Within this context, recent advances in MT-enabled bioorthogonal labeling/conjugation relevant to DNA, RNA, protein, and natural products (i.e. complex small molecule metabolites) are highlighted.
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