The role of methyl-binding proteins in chromatin organization and epigenome maintenance

Methylated DNA can be specifically recognized by a set of proteins called methyl-CpG-binding proteins (MBPs), which belong to three different structural families in mammals: the MBD family, the Kaiso and Kaiso-like proteins and the SRA domain proteins. A current view is that, once bound to methylate...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Briefings in functional genomics 2012-05, Vol.11 (3), p.251-264
Main Authors: Fournier, Alexandra, Sasai, Nobuhiro, Nakao, Mitsuyoshi, Defossez, Pierre-Antoine
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Binding Sites
Chromatin - metabolism
CpG Islands
DNA - chemistry
DNA - metabolism
DNA Methylation
DNA-Binding Proteins - genetics
DNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism
Epigenesis, Genetic
Genome
Humans
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Summary:Methylated DNA can be specifically recognized by a set of proteins called methyl-CpG-binding proteins (MBPs), which belong to three different structural families in mammals: the MBD family, the Kaiso and Kaiso-like proteins and the SRA domain proteins. A current view is that, once bound to methylated DNA, MBPs translate the DNA methylation signal into appropriate functional states, through interactions with diverse partners. However, if some of the biological functions of MBPs have been widely described--notably transcriptional repression--others are poorly understood, and more generally the extent of MBP activities remains unclear. Here we propose to discuss the role of MBPs in two crucial nuclear events: chromatin organization and epigenome maintenance. Finally, important challenges for future research as well as for biomedical applications in pathologies such as cancers--in which DNA methylation patterns are widely altered--will be mentioned.
ISSN:2041-2649
2041-2657
DOI:10.1093/bfgp/elr040