DNA Methyltransferases in Mammalian Oocytes

Results Probl Cell Differ. 2017:63:211-222. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-60855-6_10.

Abstract

Epigenetic mechanisms play important roles in properly occurring mammalian oogenesis. One of these mechanisms is DNA methylation adding a methyl group to the fifth carbon atom of the cytosine residues using S-adenosyl-L-methionine as a methyl donor. DNA methylation generally takes place at cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) dinucleotide sites and rarely occurs at cytosine-phosphate-thymine (CpT), cytosine-phosphate-adenine (CpA), or cytosine-phosphate-cytosine sites, known as non-CpG sites. Basically, two different DNA methylation processes are identified: de novo methylation and maintenance methylation. While the de novo methylation functions in methylation of unmethylated DNA strands, maintenance methylation is capable of methylating hemi-methylated DNA strands following DNA replication. Both DNA methylation processes are catalyzed by special DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) enzymes. To date, five different DNMTs have been identified: DNMT1, DNMT3A, DNMT3B, DNMT3L, and DNMT2. In this chapter, we focus particularly on temporal and spatial expression of DNMTs in mammalian oocytes and granulosa cells.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases / metabolism*
  • DNA / chemistry
  • DNA / metabolism
  • DNA Methylation*
  • Epigenesis, Genetic
  • Female
  • Granulosa Cells / enzymology*
  • Oocytes / cytology
  • Oocytes / enzymology*
  • Oocytes / metabolism
  • Oogenesis / genetics

Substances

  • DNA
  • DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases