title: Dnmt2-dependent methylomes lack defined DNA methylation patterns.
abstract: Several organisms have retained methyltransferase 2 (Dnmt2) as their only candidate DNA methyltransferase gene. However, information about Dnmt2-dependent methylation patterns has been limited to a few isolated loci and the results have been discussed controversially. In addition, recent studies have shown that Dnmt2 functions as a tRNA methyltransferase, which raised the possibility that Dnmt2-only genomes might be unmethylated. We have now used whole-genome bisulfite sequencing to analyze the methylomes of Dnmt2-only organisms at single-base resolution. Our results show that the genomes of Schistosoma mansoni and Drosophila melanogaster lack detectable DNA methylation patterns. Residual unconverted cytosine residues shared many attributes with bisulfite deamination artifacts and were observed at comparable levels in Dnmt2-deficient flies. Furthermore, genetically modified Dnmt2-only mouse embryonic stem cells lost the DNA methylation patterns found in wild-type cells. Our results thus uncover fundamental differences among animal methylomes and suggest that DNA methylation is dispensable for a considerable number of eukaryotic organisms.
authors: Division of Epigenetics, DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, German Cancer Research Center, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors: Günter
authors: G
authors: Raddatz
authors: Paloma M
authors: PM
authors: Guzzardo
authors: Nelly
authors: N
authors: Olova
authors: Marcelo Rosado
authors: MR
authors: Fantappié
authors: Markus
authors: M
authors: Rampp
authors: Matthias
authors: M
authors: Schaefer
authors: Wolf
authors: W
authors: Reik
authors: Gregory J
authors: GJ
authors: Hannon
authors: Frank
authors: F
authors: Lyko
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004248:DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019175:DNA Methylation / Q000502:physiology*; D016054:DNA, Protozoan / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D029721:Drosophila Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000201:enzymology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D015800:Protozoan Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D012550:Schistosoma mansoni / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D016054:DNA, Protozoan; D029721:Drosophila Proteins; D015800:Protozoan Proteins; C491786:Dnmt2 protein, mouse; C491784:Mt2 protein, Drosophila; D004248:DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases
keywords: RNA methylation; epigenetics
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