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Heavily methylated amplified DNA in transformants of Neurospora crassa

Nature volume 310, pages 701–704 (1984)Cite this article

Abstract

Substantial DNA methylation occurs in higher eukaryotes and in some cases affects gene expression (for reviews see refs 1–4). However, the genomes of some fungi5,6, Drosophila7 and other lower eukaryotes5,8 have an extremely low 5-methylcytosine content, suggesting4,9 that DNA methylation might not have a general role in gene control. We have now found heavy methylation of transforming DNA which has become stably amplified in complex tandem arrays in the fungus Neurospora crassa. Rearranged amplified arrays of this type have not previously been found in fungi, but resemble those of animal systems10–16. Our results demonstrate that this lower eukaryote normally maintains only very low levels of 5-methylcytosine in its genome, but possesses a mechanism for substantial methylation of DNA de novo. This heavy methylation, which lacks the preference for CG sequences found in higher eukaryotes1–4, does not apparently affect gene expression and might be involved in a recombination or repair process for which the amplified DNA is a target.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Genetics, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK

    John H. Bull & John C. Wootton

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  1. John H. Bull
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Bull, J., Wootton, J. Heavily methylated amplified DNA in transformants of Neurospora crassa. Nature 310, 701–704 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/310701a0

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