TET1 Domain
Origin: Human ten-eleven translocation 1 (catalytic domain)
Characteristics
Targeted epigenetic activation through DNA demethylation. Removes stable methylation marks at target loci. Effective for reactivating epigenetically silenced genes. Larger domain (~500 amino acids for catalytic region). Slower-acting than transcriptional activators but creates lasting changes.
Mechanism: Catalyzes oxidation of 5-methylcytosine to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, initiating active demethylation pathway. Removes repressive methylation marks to restore gene expression. Works through base excision repair pathway.
References
- Morita et al. (2016). Targeted DNA demethylation in vivo using dCas9-peptide repeat and scFv-TET1 catalytic domain fusions. Nat Biotechnol - Morita 2016 TET1