Structure and Mechanism of Plant DNA Methyltransferases.
DNA methylation is an important epigenetic mark that functions in eukaryotes from fungi to animals and plants, where it plays a crucial role in the regulation of epigenetic silencing. Once the methylation mark is established by the de novo DNA methyltransferase (MTase), it requires specific regulatory mechanisms to maintain the methylation state during chromatin replication, both during meiosis and mitosis. Plants have distinct DNA methylation patterns that are both established and maintained by unique DNA MTases and are regulated by plant-specific pathways. This chapter focuses on the exceptional structural and functional features of plant DNA MTases that provide insights into these regulatory mechanisms.
Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201602, China. jmdu@sibs.ac.cn.
Jiamu
J
Du
D000818:Animals; D019175:DNA Methylation / Q000235:genetics*; D015254:DNA Modification Methylases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018744:DNA, Plant / Q000235:genetics*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D010802:Phylogeny; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics; D011487:Protein Conformation
D018744:DNA, Plant; D015254:DNA Modification Methylases