title: Mechanism and biological role of Dnmt2 in Nucleic Acid Methylation.
abstract: A group of homologous nucleic acid modification enzymes called Dnmt2, Trdmt1, Pmt1, DnmA, and Ehmet in different model organisms catalyze the transfer of a methyl group from the cofactor S-adenosyl-methionine (SAM) to the carbon-5 of cytosine residues. Originally considered as DNA MTases, these enzymes were shown to be tRNA methyltransferases about a decade ago. Between the presumed involvement in DNA modification-related epigenetics, and the recent foray into the RNA modification field, significant progress has characterized Dnmt2-related research. Here, we review this progress in its diverse facets including molecular evolution, structural biology, biochemistry, chemical biology, cell biology and epigenetics.
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Biochemistry , Stuttgart University , Stuttgart , Germany.
authors.forename: Albert
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jeltsch
authors.affiliation: b Institut für Biologie , Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin , Berlin , Germany.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ehrenhofer-Murray
authors.affiliation: a Institute of Biochemistry , Stuttgart University , Stuttgart , Germany.
authors.forename: Tomasz P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Jurkowski
authors.affiliation: c Division of Epigenetics, DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, German Cancer Research Center , Heidelberg , Germany.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lyko
authors.affiliation: d Institute of Biology, Developmental Genetics, Martin Luther University Halle , Halle , Germany.
authors.forename: Gunter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reuter
authors.affiliation: e Department of Molecular Microbiology , The Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine , Technion , Haifa , Israel.
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ankri
authors.affiliation: f Abteilung für Genetik, Universität Kassel , Kassel , Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nellen
authors.affiliation: g Medical University of Vienna, Center for Anatomy & Cell Biology , Vienna , Austria.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schaefer
authors.affiliation: h Institut für Pharmazie und Biochemie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz , Mainz , Germany.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Helm
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001665:Binding Sites; D002384:Catalysis; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004248:DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D019175:DNA Methylation; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D020868:Gene Silencing; D006801:Humans; D008745:Methylation; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010802:Phylogeny; D011485:Protein Binding; D018626:Retroelements; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D013379:Substrate Specificity
chemical_list: D009696:Nucleic Acids; D018626:Retroelements; D004248:DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases
keywords: DNA methylation; RNA methylation; epigenetics; methylcytidine; tRNA