CpG methylation is an epigenetic modification that is important for embryonic development, imprinting, and X-chromosome inactivation. Studies in mice have demonstrated that DNA methylation is required for mammalian development. This gene encodes a protein with similarity to DNA methyltransferases, but this protein does not display methyltransferase activity. The protein strongly binds DNA, suggesting that it may mark specific sequences in the genome. Alternative splicing results in multiple transcript variants encoding different isoforms.[8]
It has been shown that human DNMT2 does not methylate DNA but instead methylates cytosine 38 in the anticodon loop of aspartic acid transfer RNA (tRNA(Asp)).[9]
^Vilain A, Apiou F, Dutrillaux B, Malfoy B (Nov 1998). "Assignment of candidate DNA methyltransferase gene (DNMT2) to human chromosome band 10p15.1 by in situ hybridization". Cytogenet Cell Genet. 82 (1–2): 120. doi:10.1159/000015083. PMID9763678. S2CID46803768.
Franchina M, Hooper J, Kay PH (2001). "Five novel alternatively spliced transcripts of DNA (cytosine-5) methyltransferase 2 in human peripheral blood leukocytes". Int. J. Biochem. Cell Biol. 33 (11): 1104–15. doi:10.1016/S1357-2725(01)00074-7. PMID11551826.
Xiong Y, Dowdy SC, Xue A, et al. (2005). "Opposite alterations of DNA methyltransferase gene expression in endometrioid and serous endometrial cancers". Gynecol. Oncol. 96 (3): 601–9. doi:10.1016/j.ygyno.2004.11.047. PMID15721400.
Pang ST, Weng WH, Flores-Morales A, et al. (2006). "Cytogenetic and expression profiles associated with transformation to androgen-resistant prostate cancer". Prostate. 66 (2): 157–72. doi:10.1002/pros.20328. PMID16173030. S2CID26023143.
