title: The DNA methyltransferase-2 gene in the prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii: characteristics and expression patterns during ovarian and embryonic development.
abstract: DNA methylation plays important roles in eukaryotic development. However, studies of DNA methylation in Crustacea are very limited. In the present study, we isolated and identified a DNA methyltransferase 2 (Mar-Dnmt2) gene from the prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii. The cDNA of Mar-Dnmt2 contained an 1,191-bp open reading frame that encoded a putative Dnmt2 protein of 396 amino acids with the ten motifs characteristic of DNA methyltransferases and exhibiting high identities with other known Dnmt2 homologs (30%-42%). By real-time PCR, an especially high level of Mar-Dnmt2 mRNA was found in the ovary, approximately 5-16 times higher than in other tissues. Moreover, Mar-Dnmt2 mRNA obviously decreased during embryonic development. On the other hand, DNA methylation was detected in this study; about 0.05% of cytosine residues were found to be methylated in the DNA of M. rosenbergii.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cell Biology and Genetics, College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Zijingang Campus, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, PR China.
authors.forename: Chen-Zhuo
authors.initials: CZ
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Su
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Wei-Jun
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D004248:DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D019175:DNA Methylation; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000737:chemistry; D004625:Embryo, Nonmammalian / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010053:Ovary / Q000737:chemistry; D033541:Palaemonidae / Q000196:embryology* / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D014018:Tissue Distribution
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D004248:DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases