Are there two DNA methyltransferase gene families in plant cells? A new potential methyltransferase gene isolated from an Arabidopsis thaliana genomic library

• Published in: Nucleic acids research Vol. 22; no. 6; pp. 953 - 958
• Main Authors: Scheidt, G., Weber, H., Graessmann, M., Graessmann, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Oxford University Press 25.03.1994
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Animals; Arabidopsis - enzymology; Arabidopsis - genetics; Arabidopsis Proteins; Arabidopsis thaliana; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Blotting, Northern; Cloning, Molecular; Conserved Sequence; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases - chemistry; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases - genetics; DNA - chemistry; DNA - isolation & purification; DNA Probes; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression; Gene Library; Genes, Plant; Genes. Genome; Mice; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; Molecular Sequence Data; Nucleotide sequence; Enzyme; Transferases; DNA (cytosine-5-)-methyltransferase; Homology; Gene expression; Arabidopsis thaliana; Methyltransferases; Gene; Cruciferae; Dicotyledones; Angiospermae; Chromosome DNA; Multigene family; Spermatophyta
• ISSN: 0305-1048; 1362-4962
• DOI: 10.1093/nar/22.6.953

Using the 1kb 3′ terminal DNA fragment of the mouse methyltransferase cDNA as a probe and low stringent hybridisation conditions, a new potential methyltransferase (MTase) gene family was Isolated from an Arabidopsis thaliana genomic DNA library. One clone (MTase-11), which gave the strongest signal at the Northern blot, was entirely sequenced (11483 bp) and further characterised. Under consideration of the likely open reading frames and our preliminary cDNA experiments we propose that the clone 11 gene encodes for an ∑ 90 kD protein. As deduced form the DNA sequence this protein contains all conserved sequence motifs specific for the 5m cytoslne MTases. MTase-11 gene expression was demonstrable in callus and during germination but not in one month old plants or in leaves.