2015年度春季学期学术系列讲座之九

Title: N6-Methyladenine DNA Modification in Drosophila

Speaker: Dahua Chen, Ph.D.

Associate Director

Principal Investigator

State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

时间：2015年5月29日，13:00-14:30pm

地点：邓祐才报告厅

Host: Yan Song

Abstract

DNA N6-methyladenine (6mA) modification is commonly found in microbial genomes, and plays important functions in regulating numerous biological processes in bacteria. However, whether 6mA occurs and what its potential roles are in higher eukaryote cells remain unknown. Here we show that 6mA is present in Drosophila genome and that the 6mA modification is dynamic and regulated by the Drosophila Tet homolog, DNA 6mA demethylase (DMAD), during embryogenesis. Importantly, our biochemical assays demonstrate that DMAD directly catalyzes 6mA demethylation in vitro. Further genetic and sequencing analyses reveal that DMAD is essential for development, and that DMAD removes 6mA primarily from transposon regions which correlates with transposon suppression in Drosophila ovary. Collectively, we uncover a DNA modification in Drosophila, and describe a potential role of the DMAD-6mA regulatory axis in controlling development in higher eukaryotes.

欢迎各位老师同学积极参加！