Functional CpG Methylation System in a Social Insect
2006
Wang, Ying | Jorda, Mireia | Jones, Peter L. | Maleszka, Ryszard | Lingxu. | Robertson, Hugh M. | Mizzen, Craig A. | Peinado, Miguel A. | Robinson, Gene E.
DNA methylation systems are well characterized in vertebrates, but methylation in Drosophila melanogaster and other invertebrates remains controversial. Using the recently sequenced honey bee genome, we present a bioinformatic, molecular, and biochemical characterization of a functional DNA methylation system in an insect. We report on catalytically active orthologs of the vertebrate DNA methyltransferases Dnmt1 and Dnmt3a and b, two isoforms that contain a methyl-DNA binding domain, genomic 5-methyl-deoxycytosine, and CpG-methylated genes. The honey bee provides an opportunity to study the roles of methylation in social contexts.
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