Huang et al. (2021) identified a mechanism acting through the arginine methyltransferase PRMT6 that stabilizes interaction of RCC1 with chromatin, promoting cell proliferation and tumorigenicity. Targeting this might enhance treatment tumors such as glioblastoma.

For the past half century, thiopurines have earned themselves a reputation as effective anti-cancer and immunosuppressive drugs. Thiopurine S-methyltransferase (TPMT) is involved in the metabolism of all thiopurines and is one of the main enzymes that inactivates mercaptopurine. 6-MP is now used as a combination therapies for maintenance therapy of children with acute lymphocytic leukemia (A...

Signal transduction in human neutrophils requires prenylcysteine-directed carboxyl methylation of ras-related low molecular weight GTP-binding proteins. We now report the subcellular localization and characterization of a neutrophil prenylcysteine alpha carboxyl methyltransferase. The highest carboxyl methyltransferase activity copurified with biotinylated neutrophil surface membranes, supporti...

(Cytosine-5)-DNA methyltransferase SsoII (M.SsoII) consists of a methyltransferase domain (residues 72-379) and an N-terminal region (residues 1-71) which regulates transcription in SsoII restriction-modification system. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is employed here to study the low resolution structure of M.SsoII and its complex with DNA containing the methylation site. The shapes recon...

Damage and degradation of cellular proteins is observed during age-induced seed deterioration, LIsoaspartyl protein methyltransferase (EC 2.1.1.77) is an enzyme hypothesized to play a role in limiting and repairing age-induced damage to proteins. Tomato {Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. 'New Yorker') seeds were assayed for changes in L-isoaspartyl methyltransferase activity during accelerated agei...

Because of the putative rule of phospholipid methyltransferase reactions in many important membrane and receptor translocation processes, we studied the effect of methyltransferase inhibitors on acetylcholine receptor (AcChoR) turnover in cultured rat skeletal muscle. Inhibition of methyltransferase significantly reduced the normal rate of degradation of AcChoRs, a process that involves endocyt...

The molecular basis of aberrant hypermethylation of CpG islands observed in a subset of human colorectal tumors is unknown. One potential mechanism is the up-regulation of DNA (cytosine-5)-methyltransferases. Recently, two new mammalian DNA methyltransferase genes have been identified, which are referred to as DNMT3A and DNMT3B. The encoded proteins differ from the predominant mammalian DNA met...