Premium
Is the HemK Family of Putative S‐Adenosylmethionine‐Dependent Methyltransferases a “Missing” zeta Subfamily of Adenine Methyltransferases? A Hypothesis
Author(s) -
Bujnicki Janusz M.,
Radlinska Monika
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
iubmb life
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.132
H-Index - 113
eISSN - 1521-6551
pISSN - 1521-6543
DOI - 10.1080/713803519
Subject(s) - subfamily , methyltransferase , genetics , biology , chemistry , methylation , gene
Previous comparative studies revealed close similarity among various groups of S‐adenosyl‐L‐methionine (AdoMet)‐dependent methyltransferases (MTases), indicating their common evolutionary origin. We present evidence for a remarkable similarity between the sequence and predicted structure of HemK (a widespread family of putative proteins encoded in genomes from bacteria to humans) and the catalytic domain of the gamma‐subfamily of adenine‐specific DNA MTases (N6mA MTases). We predict the structure and function of the putative catalytic domain of HemK proteins and speculate that the target‐recognizing function may be conferred by the N‐terminal variable region.