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Concept information

Preferred term

DNA Modification Methylases  

Type

  • mesh:Descriptor

Definition

  • Enzymes that are part of the restriction-modification systems. They are responsible for producing a species-characteristic methylation pattern, on either adenine or cytosine residues, in a specific short base sequence in the host cell's own DNA. This methylated sequence will occur many times in the host-cell DNA and remain intact for the lifetime of the cell. Any DNA from another species which gains entry into a living cell and lacks the characteristic methylation pattern will be recognized by the restriction endonucleases of similar specificity and destroyed by cleavage. Most have been studied in bacterial systems, but a few have been found in eukaryotic organisms.

Entry terms

  • DNA Modification Methyltransferases
  • Modification Methylases

In other languages

URI

http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/JVR-ZT2QPDZC-C

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RDF/XML TURTLE JSON-LD Created 5/17/88, last modified 7/9/03