UHRF1 plays a role in maintaining DNA methylation in mammalian cells.
Epigenetic inheritance in mammals relies in part on robust propagation of DNA methylation patterns throughout development. We show that the protein UHRF1 (ubiquitin-like, containing PHD and RING finger domains 1), also known as NP95 in mouse and ICBP90 in human, is required for maintaining DNA methylation. UHRF1 colocalizes with the maintenance DNA methyltransferase protein DNMT1 throughout S phase. UHRF1 appears to tether DNMT1 to chromatin through its direct interaction with DNMT1. Furthermore UHRF1 contains a methyl DNA binding domain, the SRA (SET and RING associated) domain, that shows strong preferential binding to hemimethylated CG sites, the physiological substrate for DNMT1. These data suggest that UHRF1 may help recruit DNMT1 to hemimethylated DNA to facilitate faithful maintenance of DNA methylation.
Bostick
Magnolia
M
Department of Molecular Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
Kim
Jong Kyong
JK
Estève
Pierre-Olivier
PO
Clark
Amander
A
Pradhan
Sriharsa
S
Jacobsen
Steven E
SE
D000818:Animals; D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D019556:COS Cells; D002460:Cell Line; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D002843:Chromatin / Q000378:metabolism; D000076123:DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferase 1; D004248:DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases / Q000378:metabolism*; D019175:DNA Methylation; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases
D022762:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins; D002843:Chromatin; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D000076123:DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferase 1; D004248:DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases; C000619380:DNMT1 protein, human; C000619381:Dnmt1 protein, mouse; C406364:UHRF1 protein, human; D044767:Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; C117054:Uhrf1 protein, mouse