Abstract
The discovery of a modified version of the base adenine, known as N6-methyladenine, in mouse DNA puts paid to the theory that cytosine derivatives are the only modified bases in mammals. See Article p.329 DNA methylation is thought to occur exclusively on the fifth position of cytosine in mammalian cells. These authors identify an additional form of DNA modification — producing N6-methyladenine — in mouse embryonic stem cells. They show that the Alkbh1 gene encodes a demethylase for N6-methyladenine. Deposition of N6-methyladenine is found at subfamilies of young LINE-1 transposons, where it may be involved in epigenetic silencing. N6-methyladenine has previously been found in prokaryotes, algae, nematodes and insects.
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