NCIt synonyms : DNA-Methyltransferase; DNA Modification Methylase; Dnmt; Site-Specific DNA-methyltransferase; DNA MTase;
NCIt related terms : DNA methylase;
NCIt definition : DNA Methyltransferases are a subclass of transferase enzymes that catalyze the transfer
of a methyl group from a donor compound to DNA.;
Alternative definition : NCI-GLOSS: An enzyme (a protein that speeds up chemical reactions in the body) that
attaches a methyl group to DNA. A methyl group is a chemical group containing one
carbon and three hydrogen molecules.;
NCIt note : An enzyme that binds to specific DNA sequences and protects the nucleotides therein.
The nucleotide sequence contains a cognate recognition sequence that is protected
from digestion by exonucleases. The enzyme protects the sequence by methylation on
an adenine or cytosine residue. If the DNA is left unprotected, it will be proteolytically
cleaved by host endonucleases.; DNA methyltransferases are categorized into three different IUBMB Enzyme Classes based
on their chemical reaction products: m6A (EC 2.1.1.72) generate N6-methyladenine,
m4C (EC 2.1.1.113) generate N4-methylcytosine and m5C (EC 2.1.1.37) generate C5-methylcytosine.;
Codes from synonyms : CDR0000576489; CDR0000561397;