5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytosine reduce the rate and substrate specificity of RNA polymerase II transcription

Abstract

While the roles of 5-methyl-cytosine and 5-hydroxymethyl-cytosine in epigenetic regulation of gene expression are well-established, the functional effects of 5-formyl-cytosine and 5-carboxyl-cytosine in the genome on transcription are not clear. Here we report the first systematic study of the effects of five different forms of cytosine in DNA on mammalian and yeast RNA polymerase II transcription, providing new insights into potential functional interplay between cytosine methylation status and transcription.