Methylated

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Methylated

Methylated refers to the addition of a methyl group to a molecule. This process, known as methylation, is a common biochemical reaction that plays a crucial role in a variety of biological functions, including DNA methylation, protein methylation, and RNA methylation.

Methylation[edit | edit source]

Methylation is a form of alkylation involving the transfer of a methyl group from a methyl donor to an acceptor molecule, often a protein, DNA, or RNA. This process is catalyzed by enzymes known as methyltransferases. Methylation can affect the function of the acceptor molecule, and is therefore a common mechanism of post-translational modification in proteins and epigenetic regulation in DNA.

DNA Methylation[edit | edit source]

DNA methylation is a biochemical process that involves the addition of a methyl group to the DNA molecule. This can change the activity of a DNA segment without changing the sequence. When located in a gene promoter, DNA methylation typically acts to repress gene transcription. DNA methylation is a crucial part of normal organism development and can be influenced by age and environmental factors.

Protein Methylation[edit | edit source]

Protein methylation typically takes place on arginine or lysine amino acid residues in the protein sequence. Arginine can be methylated once (monomethylated arginine) or twice, with either both methyl groups on one terminal nitrogen (asymmetric dimethylarginine) or one on both nitrogens (symmetric dimethylarginine), by protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs). Lysine can be methylated once, twice, or three times by lysine methyltransferases. Protein methylation has been most studied in the histones.

RNA Methylation[edit | edit source]

RNA methylation is a process by which methyl groups are added to RNA. There are several types of RNA methylation, including m6A, m5C, and m1A. RNA methylation is common in the regulation of various processes such as RNA stability and mRNA translation.

See Also[edit | edit source]


Methylated Resources

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