CpG underrepresentation and the bacterial CpG-specific DNA methyltransferase M.MpeI

CpG underrepresentation and the bacterial CpG-specific DNA methyltransferase M.MpeI.

Cytosine methylation promotes deamination. In eukaryotes, CpG methylation is thought to account for CpG underrepresentation. Whether scarcity of CpGs in prokaryotic genomes is diagnostic for methylation is not clear. Here, we report that Mycoplasms tend to be CpG depleted and to harbor a family of constitutively expressed or phase variable CpG-specific DNA methyltransferases. The very CpG poor ...

CpG DNA analysis of bacterial STDs

BACKGROUND Bacterial infections in the genital tract frequently result in morbidity through a variety of inflammation based symptoms. One component of the bacteria that may trigger host inflammatory response is their DNA. CpG motifs in this DNA are known targets for Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9), which is a pathogen-recognition receptors focusing on CpG DNA. The activation of TLR9 induces the NF-...

Synergy between CpG- or non-CpG DNA and specific antigen for B cell activation.

DNA or oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) containing unmethylated CpG motifs (CpG DNA) activate antigen-presenting cells and switch on T(h)1 immunity to antigen. B cells are synergistically activated by CpG DNA in combination with non-physiologic B cell stimulators such as polyclonal mitogen and surface Ig cross-linkers. This study shows the unexpected finding that not only CpG ODN, but also non-CpG a...

CpG motifs in bacterial DNA delay apoptosis of neutrophil granulocytes.

Human neutrophil granulocytes die rapidly, and their survival is contingent upon rescue from programmed cell death by signals from the environment. We now show that a novel signal for delaying neutrophil apoptosis is unmethylated CpG motifs prevalent in bacterial DNA (CpG- DNA). Human neutrophils express toll-like receptor 9 that recognizes these motifs. CpG-DNA, but not mammalian DNA or methyl...

Containing CpG Motifs Induces Meningitis Intracisternally Localized Bacterial DNA