Nucleic Acids Research, 1992, Vol. 20, No. 10 2541-2545
© 1992
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY |
DNA methyltransferase is developmentally expressed in replicating and non-replicating male germ cells
McGill University-Montreal Children's Hospital Research Institute 2300 Tupper Street, Montreal, Quebec H3H 1P3, Canada 1Department of Biology, Tufts University Medford, MA 02155, USA 2Department of Anatomy and Cellular Biology, Laboratory of Human Reproduction and Reproductive Biology, Harvard Medical School Boston, MA 02115, USA
* To whom correspondence should be addressed
Received January 7, 1992. Revised April 9, 1992. Accepted April 9, 1992.
Genomic methylation patterns are established during maturation of primordial germ cells and during gametogenesis. While methylation is linked to DNA replication in somatic cells, active de novo methylation and demethylation occur in post-replicative spermatocytes during meiotic prophase (1). We have examined differentiating male germ cells for alternative forms of DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferase (DNA MTase) and have found a 6.2 kb DNA MTase mRNA that is present in appreciable quantities only in testis; in post-replicative pachytene spermatocytes it is the predominant form of DNA MTase mRNA. The 5.2 kb DNA MTase mRNA, characteristic of all somatic cells, was detected in isolated type A and B spermatogonia and haploid round spermatids. Immunoblot analysis detected a protein in spermatogenic cells with a relative mass of 180,000–200,000, which is close to the known size of the somatic form of mammalian DNA MTase. The demonstration of the differential developmental expression of DNA MTase in male germ cells argues for a role for testicular DNA methylation events, not only during replication in premeiotic cells, but also during meiotic prophase and postmeiotic development.
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  C. Yauk, A. Polyzos, A. Rowan-Carroll, C. M. Somers, R. W. Godschalk, F. J. Van Schooten, M. L. Berndt, I. P. Pogribny, I. Koturbash, A. Williams, et al. Germ-line mutations, DNA damage, and global hypermethylation in mice exposed to particulate air pollution in an urban/industrial location PNAS, January 15, 2008; 105(2): 605 - 610. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T.C. Shovlin, D. Bourc'his, S. La Salle, A. O'Doherty, J.M. Trasler, T.H. Bestor, and C.P. Walsh Sex-specific promoters regulate Dnmt3L expression in mouse germ cells Hum. Reprod., February 1, 2007; 22(2): 457 - 467. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. L. J. Kelly, E. Li, and J. M. Trasler 5-Aza-2'-Deoxycytidine Induces Alterations in Murine Spermatogenesis and Pregnancy Outcome J Androl, November 1, 2003; 24(6): 822 - 830. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. H. Bestor The DNA methyltransferases of mammals Hum. Mol. Genet., October 1, 2000; 9(16): 2395 - 2402. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. M. Aguirre-Arteta, I. Grunewald, M. C. Cardoso, and H. Leonhardt Expression of an Alternative Dnmt1 Isoform during Muscle Differentiation Cell Growth Differ., October 1, 2000; 11(10): 551 - 559. [Abstract] [Full Text]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. Doerksen, G. Benoit, and J. M. Trasler Deoxyribonucleic Acid Hypomethylation of Male Germ Cells by Mitotic and Meiotic Exposure to 5-Azacytidine Is Associated with Altered Testicular Histology Endocrinology, September 1, 2000; 141(9): 3235 - 3244. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 A. Bacolla, S. Pradhan, R. J. Roberts, and R. D. Wells Recombinant Human DNA (Cytosine-5) Methyltransferase. II. STEADY-STATE KINETICS REVEAL ALLOSTERIC ACTIVATION BY METHYLATED DNA J. Biol. Chem., November 12, 1999; 274(46): 33011 - 33019. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 C Mertineit, J. Yoder, T Taketo, D. Laird, J. Trasler, and T. Bestor Sex-specific exons control DNA methyltransferase in mammalian germ cells Development, January 3, 1998; 125(5): 889 - 897. [Abstract] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
J. F. Glickman, J. G. Pavlovich, and N. O. Reich Peptide Mapping of the Murine DNA Methyltransferase Reveals a Major Phosphorylation Site and the Start of Translation J. Biol. Chem., July 11, 1997; 272(28): 17851 - 17857. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
L. Frostesjo, I. Holm, B. Grahn, A. W. Page, T. H. Bestor, and O. Heby Interference with DNA Methyltransferase Activity and Genome Methylation during F9 Teratocarcinoma Stem Cell Differentiation Induced by Polyamine Depletion J. Biol. Chem., February 14, 1997; 272(7): 4359 - 4366. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|