Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 3, 2025
09:42
Immunostaining for DNA Modifications: Computational Analysis of Confocal Images
Published on: September 7, 2017
9.9K
Substrate deformation regulates DRM2-mediated DNA methylation in plants
Jian Fang1, Sarah M Leichter2,3, Jianjun Jiang2,3
1Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
Science Advances
|June 3, 2021
Summary
Plant DNA methyltransferase DRM2 uses DNA deformation to achieve CHH methylation specificity. A mutation shifts specificity to CHG, revealing mechanisms of plant epigenetics and methylome complexity.
Area of Science:
- Epigenetics
- Molecular Biology
- Plant Science
Background:
- DNA methylation is a crucial epigenetic mechanism for gene regulation and genome stability in plants.
- Domains Rearranged Methyltransferase 2 (DRM2) is key for CHH methylation, exhibiting unique substrate specificity compared to mammalian enzymes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the structure-function relationship of DRM2 in mediating DNA methylation.
- To understand the mechanism behind DRM2's preferential CHH methylation specificity.
Main Methods:
- Structure-function characterization of DRM2.
- Analysis of DNA-protein interactions using structural insights.
- Site-directed mutagenesis to engineer DRM2 variants.
Main Results:
- DRM2 utilizes an arginine finger to intercalate into DNA's minor groove, causing significant DNA deformation.
- This deformation influences substrate preference, allowing DRM2 to recognize diverse CHH contexts.
- The target recognition domain interacts via shape complementarity, not base-specific contacts, enabling broad substrate acceptance.
- A C397R mutation engineered in DRM2 created base-specific contacts, altering specificity towards CHG DNA.
Conclusions:
- DNA deformation is a key mechanism regulating DRM2's specificity for CHH substrates.
- Structural insights reveal how plants achieve complex DNA methylation patterns.
- This study enhances understanding of plant epigenome regulation and methylome diversity.
Related Concept Videos
01:37Epigenetic Regulation
3.3K
Epigenetic changes alter the physical structure of the DNA without changing the genetic sequence and often regulate whether genes are turned on or off. This regulation ensures that each cell produces only proteins necessary for its function. For example, proteins that promote bone growth are not produced in muscle cells. Epigenetic mechanisms play an essential role in healthy development. Conversely, precisely regulated epigenetic mechanisms are disrupted in diseases like cancer.
X-chromosome...
X-chromosome...
3.3K
01:46Epigenetic Regulation
31.8K
Epigenetic mechanisms play an essential role in healthy development. Conversely, precisely regulated epigenetic mechanisms are disrupted in diseases like cancer.
31.8K
02:41Chromatin Structure Regulates pre-mRNA Processing
7.6K
In eukaryotic cells, nascent mRNA transcripts need to undergo many post-transcriptional modifications to reach the cell cytoplasm and translate into functional proteins. For a long time, transcription and pre-mRNA processing were considered two independent events that occur sequentially in the cell. However, it has now been well established that transcription and pre-mRNA processing are two simultaneous processes that are precisely regulated inside the cell.
The chromatin structure, especially...
The chromatin structure, especially...
7.6K
02:04Covalently Linked Protein Regulators
8.1K
Proteins can undergo many types of post-translational modifications, often in response to changes in their environment. These modifications play an important role in the function and stability of these proteins. Covalently linked molecules include functional groups, such as methyl, acetyl, and phosphate groups, and also small proteins, such as ubiquitin. There are around 200 different types of covalent regulators that have been identified.
These groups modify specific amino acids in a protein....
These groups modify specific amino acids in a protein....
8.1K
01:25Cell Signaling in Plants
5.9K
Plant cells communicate to coordinate their cycle of growth, flowering and fruiting, and activities in roots, shoots, and leaves in response to the changing environmental conditions. Plant signaling is distinct from animal signaling. Plants primarily utilize enzyme-linked receptors, whereas the largest class of cell-surface receptors in animals are G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs). Unlike animals, receptor tyrosine kinases are rare in plants. Instead, plants have a diverse class of...
5.9K
01:53RNA Stability
34.3K
Intact DNA strands can be found in fossils, while scientists sometimes struggle to keep RNA intact under laboratory conditions. The structural variations between RNA and DNA underlie the differences in their stability and longevity. Because DNA is double-stranded, it is inherently more stable. The single-stranded structure of RNA is less stable but also more flexible and can form weak internal bonds. Additionally, most RNAs in the cell are relatively short, while DNA can be up to 250 million...
34.3K