Researchers from Cambridge University have discovered a new epigenetic modification, further expanding the epigenetic modification of "team." The study, published in the international academic journal Nature Structural and Molecular Biology of the latest research shows that the presence of humans, mice and other vertebrates species DNA modification more than we thought possible.
Epigenetics environmental and behavioral (such as diet and smoking habits) affect DNA, and this affects how inherited to the next generation or the next generation provides a possible explanation. Epigenetic current research mainly focused on histone modifications, epigenetic histone modifications in addition to gene may also occur through modification of DNA bases are directly regulated, and is currently found mainly in the cytosine DNA modification .
In this study, the researchers found that the gene human, mouse and other species in the methylation of adenine, but the number is far less than adenine methylation of cytosine methylation, whole genome Such modifications are only about 1700 will happen adenine, adenine methylation distributed throughout the genome, but does not appear on exon.
The authors said: "These new modified found in abundance in the genome is very low, but that does not mean they are not important we do not know their specific role, but the new modifications are likely to DNA, genes. Regulation even have a major impact on human health. "
The researchers found a new DNA modification in this study RNA modification process. They use a specific RNA modified antibodies identified to find out whether there is a similar modification on DNA, and found that the existence of this situation on the DNA. The researchers further proved by this appear in the DNA of the new modification is not false-positive results occur by RNA contamination.
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