Affiliation:
1. New England Biolabs, Beverly, Massachusetts 01915.
Abstract
The restriction systems McrA and McrB of Escherichia coli K-12 are known to attack DNA containing modified cytosine. In strains lacking both activities, however, we observed that DNA methylated at CG dinucleotides (as is mammalian DNA) was still significantly restricted. We show that this substantial barrier to the acceptance of 5-methylcytosine-containing DNA is attributable to a hitherto unknown activity of the Mrr restriction system. Strikingly, the multiple systems used by this gut inhabitant to determine the fate of invading DNA will all limit genetic exchange with its mammalian host(s), reinforcing the idea that one role of DNA methylation is to serve as a "molecular passport" (E. A. Raleigh, R. Trimarchi, and H. Revel, Genetics 122:279-296, 1989).
Publisher
American Society for Microbiology
Subject
Molecular Biology,Microbiology
Reference23 articles.
1. DNA methylation: evolution of a bacterial immune function into a regulator of gene expression and genome structure in higher eukaryotes;Bestor T. H.;Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B Biol. Sci.,1990
2. Bickle T. A. 1987. DNA restriction and modification systems p. 692-696. In F. C. Neidhardt J. L. Ingraham K. B. Low B. Magasanik M. Schaechter and H. E. Umbarger (ed.) Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhimurium: cellular and molecular biology vol. 1. American Society for Microbiology Washington D.C.
3. Excision and reintegration of the Escherichia coli K-12 chromosomal element e14;Brody H.;J. Bacteriol.,1985
4. Genetic and sequence organization of the mcrBC locus of Escherichia coli K-12;Dila D.;J. Bacteriol.,1990
5. E. coli C: a convenient host strain for rescue of highly methylated DNA;Gossen J. A.;Nucleic Acids Res.,1988
Cited by
61 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献，注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献，订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献