Abstract
A small portion of the cytosine residues in the DNA of higher eukaryotes as well as in that of many lowe eukaryotes if methylated. The resulting 5-methylcytosine residues occur in specific in the DNA, usually adjacent to guanine residues on the 3' side. This methylation of eukaryotic DNA has been proposed to function in many ways, including control of transcription, maintenance of chromosome structure, repair of DNA, establishment of preferred sites for mutation, oncogenic transformation, and, in certain systems, protection of DNA against enzymatic degradation.
Keywords
5-MethylcytosineDNACytosineDNA methylationCircular bacterial chromosomeBiologyGuanineGeneticsChemistryCell biologyBiochemistryBase pairNucleotideGeneGene expression
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Publication Info
- Year
- 1981
- Type
- review
- Volume
- 212
- Issue
- 4501
- Pages
- 1350-1357
- Citations
- 747
- Access
- Closed
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Cite This
Melanie Ehrlich,
Richard Y.‐H. Wang
(1981).
5-Methylcytosine in Eukaryotic DNA.
Science
, 212
(4501)
, 1350-1357.
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.6262918
Identifiers
- DOI
- 10.1126/science.6262918