IJMS, Vol. 20, Pages 6272: Active Demethylation of Non-CpG Moieties in Animals: A Neglected Research Area (International Journal of Molecular Sciences)

The functional role of cytosine methylation in the CpG moieties of DNA, is well established in several biological functions. The interplay between CpG methylation and hypomethylation is a well-known mechanism of modulation of gene expression. However, the role of non-CpG methylation and active dynamics of demethylation is not clearly recognized. Although some evidence exists of a role of active non-CpG demethylation in the fast dynamics of transcriptional activation in animals, few studies deal with this topic. At present, active demethylation of non-CpG moieties is a neglected research area, in spite of the promise of significant novelties.