DNA methylation is involved in regulation of a diverse range of
biological processes in vertebrates,
plants, and fungi. DNA methylation patterns dynamically change in a
highly orchestrated
way during development, suggesting the existence of the enzymes
catalyzing DNA methylation.
Although the enzyme that maintains DNA methylation was found in the 1980's,
de novo methyltransferases had not been discovered for a long time.
This breakthrough paper describes identification and characterization of the
de novo DNA methyltransferases in mice. In this lecture, I will introduce the
paper and the mechanisms, and then we will discuss the roles of epigenetic
regulation in animal development.