Identification of methylated sequences in genomic DNA of adult Drosophila melanogaster

The genome of Drosophila melanogaster contains methylated cytosines. Recent studies indicate that DNA methylation in the fruit fly depends on one DNA methyltransferase, dDNMT2. No obvious phenotype is associated with the downregulation of this DNA methyltransferase. Thus, identifying the target sequ...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Biochemical and biophysical research communications 2004-09, Vol.322 (2), p.465-469
Main Authors: Salzberg, Adi, Fisher, Ohad, Siman-Tov, Rama, Ankri, Serge
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
5-Methylcytosine
Animals
Base Sequence
Chromatography, Affinity
CpG Islands
DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases - metabolism
DNA - genetics
DNA - isolation & purification
DNA Methylation
DNA Transposable Elements
Drosophila melanogaster
Drosophila melanogaster - genetics
Drosophila Proteins
Molecular Sequence Data
Retrotransposons
Sequence Analysis, DNA
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Summary:The genome of Drosophila melanogaster contains methylated cytosines. Recent studies indicate that DNA methylation in the fruit fly depends on one DNA methyltransferase, dDNMT2. No obvious phenotype is associated with the downregulation of this DNA methyltransferase. Thus, identifying the target sequences methylated by dDNMT2 may constitute the first step towards understanding the biological functions of this enzyme. We used anti-5-methylcytosine antibodies as affinity column to identify the methylated sequences in the genome of adult flies. Our analysis demonstrates that components of retrotransposons and repetitive DNA sequences are putative substrates for dDNMT2. The methylation status of DNA encoding Gag, a protein involved in delivering the transposition template to its DNA target, was confirmed by sodium bisulfite sequencing.
ISSN:0006-291X
1090-2104
DOI:10.1016/j.bbrc.2004.07.134