Transition state analogs as affinity labels for human DNA methyltransferases.

A new class of affinity labels has been developed for human DNA (cytosine-5) methyltransferases. These oligodeoxynucleotides contain 5-fluorodeoxycytidine at a mispair within the recognition motif of the human enzyme. They were not effectively recognized by bacterial methyltransferases. They can be viewed as analogs of the intermediates transiently produced by methyltransferases during catalysis. Affinity labelling patterns suggest that both the structurally induced activity and the methyl-directed activity of the human enzymes operate by the same mechanism and reside on the same polypeptide chains.