DNA methylation is one of the best types of epigenetic methods as it allows genes that are turned off to stay off completely. It is a repressive mark that occurs in CpG islands (long stretches of DNA containing Cytosine and Guanine as dinucleotides in a repeating order in the 5′ to 3′ direction i.e CGCGCGC…).

Mechanism of DNA methylation

Two important processes include:

  1. DNA methylation happens on the fifth carbon of cytosine to form 5-methylcytosine (5mc) by DNA methyltransferases (DNMT's).
    • DNMT's can be DNMT1 or DNMT3a and 3b. The former is used to methylate the unmethylated strand of DNA

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