What is DNA methylation?
DNA methylation occurs when a methyl group (CH3) is added to DNA, most often the 5-carbon of the cytosine ring. These methyl groups inhibit transcription because the shape of the nucleotide is changed, which modifies the function of the genes and affects expression. DNA methylation is epigenetic, meaning that the addition of the methyl group does not affect the sequence of the DNA. It only changes the expression of the gene (phenotype) and is inherited by offspring. In our cells, methylation almost only occurs in a CpG site (cytosine nucleotide next to a guanine nucleotide), and when a methylated CpG site is in a promoter region, the gene is turned off (repressed). Three enzymes called DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) control the addition and maintenance of methylation levels in cells.
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