DNMT3A Domain

Mechanism

Catalyzes addition of methyl groups to cytosine in CpG dinucleotides. Creates 5-methylcytosine marks associated with transcriptional repression. Methylation is recognized by methyl-binding proteins that recruit repressive chromatin complexes.

Characteristics

Targeted epigenetic silencing through DNA methylation. Creates stable, heritable gene repression. Particularly effective at CpG islands. Methylation persists through cell divisions. Larger than transcriptional repressors (~300 amino acids for catalytic domain). Slow-acting but durable.

Literature References

1. Stepper et al. (2017). Efficient targeted DNA methylation with chimeric dCas9-Dnmt3a-Dnmt3L methyltransferase. Nucleic Acids Res - Stepper 2017 DNMT3A