Abstract
DNA N6-adenine methylation (N6-methyladenine; 6mA) in prokaryotes functions primarily in the host defence system. The prevalence and significance of this modification in eukaryotes had been unclear until recently. Here, we discuss recent publications documenting the presence of 6mA in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, Drosophila melanogaster and Caenorhabditis elegans; consider possible roles for this DNA modification in regulating transcription, the activity of transposable elements and transgenerational epigenetic inheritance; and propose 6mA as a new epigenetic mark in eukaryotes.
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Acknowledgements
We apologize to colleagues whose work was not cited owing to space limitations. C.H. is supported by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant HG006827 and is an investigator of Howard Hughes Medical Institute. M.A.B. is a Special Fellow of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Work in the Greer lab is supported by a National Institute on Aging of the NIH grant (AG043550). Work in the Shi laboratory is supported by grants from the NIH (CA118487 and MH096066), the Ellison Medical Foundation and the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation. Y.S. is an American Cancer Society Research Professor.
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Y.S. is a co-founder of Constellation Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and a member of its scientific advisory board. The other authors declare no competing interests.
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Luo, GZ., Blanco, M., Greer, E. et al. DNA N6-methyladenine: a new epigenetic mark in eukaryotes?. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 16, 705–710 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm4076
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm4076
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