In the process of DNA methylation a methyl group is covalently added to 5′ carbon of cytosines that are part of cytosine-guanine dinucleotides (CpG) [
27]. Full methylation occurs when cytosine residues on both DNA strands are methylated [
28]. Representing less than 1% of all dinucleotides, CpG dinucleotides are rather rare in the genome, but are often concentrated in particular regions of the genome called “CpG islands”. CpG islands are typically, but not exclusively, associated with gene promoters or first exons of approximately two thirds of all genes [
29]. CpG islands are mainly protected from methylation and remain unmethylated, whereas in other regions of the genome, CpGs are hypermethylated [
30]. DNA methylation is catalysed by so-called DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs). Based on protein sequence homology, the DNMT protein family consisted initially of five members: DNMT1, DNMT2, DNMT3A, DNMT3B, DNMT3L [
31]. After it was recognised that DNMT2 methylates RNA and DNMT3L lacks 5-cytosine-methyl-transferase activity, DNTM’s were subdivided into those maintaining DNA methylation patterns (DNMT1) and
de novo methylating DNMTs (DNMT3A, DNMT3B) [
32]. In general, hypermethylation of CpG islands in regulatory genetic elements such as promoters is transcriptionally repressive and leads to gene silencing [
33]. Recently, the so-called ten-eleven translocation (TET) family of enzymes have been identified and proven to oxidise 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, which is a crucial step in the demethylation of previously methylated DNA regions [
34].
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