Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Phase II Reactions: Methylation Reactions

Phase II Reactions: Methylation Reactions

Methylation is a phase II biotransformation process involving the attachment of a methyl group to a substrate. Enzymes known as methyltransferases orchestrate this reaction.
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...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Rapid In Vitro Pathological Diagnosis of Glioma Using Dual-Color Quantum Dot Probes for Precise Intraoperative Resection.

Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)·2026

Same author

Spin-State Engineering in 2D Metal-Organic Frameworks for Ultrasensitive Room-Temperature Ammonia Sensing.

ACS sensors·2026

Same author

Correction: Factors associated with recurrence of mitral regurgitation 14 days after rheumatic mitral valve repair.

Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine·2026

Same author

Energy Transfer-Enabled Diradical Carbonylative Cyclization of Bicyclo[1.1.0]butanes with CO and Alkenes/Alkynes.

Journal of the American Chemical Society·2026

Same author

Modular synthesis of trisubstituted olefins and 1,3-dienes from renewable alcohols via ligand-enabled nickel catalysis.

Nature communications·2026

Same author

Sweat-Based Wearable Electronic Devices for Health Monitoring: Materials, Devices, and Applications.

ACS sensors·2026

Same journal

Large-scale discovery and annotation of substructure patterns in mass spectrometry profiles.

Nature communications·2026

Same journal

Salmonella SopB suppresses post-transcriptionally regulated cytokine release to reduce early tissue inflammation and delay disease progression.

Nature communications·2026

Same journal

A human-specific microRNA controls the timing of excitatory synaptogenesis.

Nature communications·2026

Same journal

An HMA-like integrated domain in the wheat tandem kinase WTK4 recognises an RNase-like pathogen effector.

Nature communications·2026

Same journal

Learning regularities in noise engages both neural predictive activity and representational changes.

Nature communications·2026

Same journal

The H3K4 methyltransferase KMT2D is an essential cofactor for GATA1 at erythroid gene enhancers.

Nature communications·2026

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 17, 2026

Sequence-specific Labeling of Nucleic Acids and Proteins with Methyltransferases and Cofactor Analogues

Sequence-specific Labeling of Nucleic Acids and Proteins with Methyltransferases and Cofactor Analogues

Published on: November 22, 2014

Bioinspired transfer methylation enabled by a photoactive reagent.

Ding Zhang^1,2, Weiqiu Liang³, Zhihan Zhang⁴

¹School of Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.

Nature Communications

|September 18, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers developed a novel biomimetic reagent for challenging radical methylation reactions. This photoactive tool enhances control over methyl radical transfer, enabling selective C-H methylation in complex molecules.

More Related Videos

An Engineered Split-TET2 Enzyme for Chemical-inducible DNA Hydroxymethylation and Epigenetic Remodeling

An Engineered Split-TET2 Enzyme for Chemical-inducible DNA Hydroxymethylation and Epigenetic Remodeling

Published on: December 18, 2017

Using Synthetic Biology to Engineer Living Cells That Interface with Programmable Materials

Using Synthetic Biology to Engineer Living Cells That Interface with Programmable Materials

Published on: March 9, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 17, 2026

Sequence-specific Labeling of Nucleic Acids and Proteins with Methyltransferases and Cofactor Analogues

Sequence-specific Labeling of Nucleic Acids and Proteins with Methyltransferases and Cofactor Analogues

Published on: November 22, 2014

An Engineered Split-TET2 Enzyme for Chemical-inducible DNA Hydroxymethylation and Epigenetic Remodeling

An Engineered Split-TET2 Enzyme for Chemical-inducible DNA Hydroxymethylation and Epigenetic Remodeling

Published on: December 18, 2017

Using Synthetic Biology to Engineer Living Cells That Interface with Programmable Materials

Using Synthetic Biology to Engineer Living Cells That Interface with Programmable Materials

Published on: March 9, 2017

Area of Science:

Organic Chemistry
Biomimetic Chemistry
Synthetic Methodology

Background:

Radical methylation is crucial in chemistry and biology but faces challenges with unstable intermediates, low reactivity, and poor selectivity.
Existing methods struggle with precise control over methyl radical generation and transfer.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a photoactive, biomimetic reagent for overcoming challenges in radical methylation.
To enable direct and selective C(sp2)-H methylation across diverse heteroarenes.

Main Methods:

Utilized a bulky and stabilized α-aminomethyl radical for enhanced control.
Developed a bioinspired transfer methylation protocol.
Investigated mechanistic pathways using addition-elimination sequences.

Main Results:

Achieved direct and selective C(sp2)-H methylation of various heteroarenes, including complex drug molecules.
Successfully performed the challenging C4-methylation of free quinolines.
Demonstrated balanced reactivity and selectivity through mechanistic studies.

Conclusions:

The novel α-aminomethyl radical reagent offers enhanced control over radical generation and transfer.
The bioinspired protocol provides a powerful tool for selective C-H methylation, mimicking natural methyltransferases.
This approach broadens the scope of methylation reactions, particularly for complex heterocyclic systems.