Cell
Volume 69, Issue 6, 12 June 1992, Pages 905-914
Journal home page for Cell

Purification, sequence, and cellular localization of a novel chromosomal protein that binds to Methylated DNA

https://doi.org/10.1016/0092-8674(92)90610-OGet rights and content

Abstract

Methylation of mammalian DNA can lead to repression of transcription and alteration of chromatin structure. Recent evidence suggests that both effects are the result of an interaction between the methylated sites and methyl-CpG-binding proteins (MeCPs). McCP1 has previously been detected in crude nuclear extracts. Here we report the identification, purification, and cDNA cloning of a novel McCP called McCP2. Unlike MeCP1, the new protein is able to bind to DNA that contains a single methyl-CpG pair. By staining with an antibody, we show that the distribution of McCP2 along the chromosomes parallels that of methyl-CpG. In mouse, for example, McCP2 is concentrated in pericentromeric heterochromatin, which contains a large fraction (about 40%) of all genomic 5-methylcytosine.

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