Medical Definition of DNA modification methylases
1.
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 recognised 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.
Registry number: EC 2.1.1.-
(12 Dec 1998)
Lexicographical Neighbors of DNA Modification Methylases
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