Subunit and functional size of human placental DNA methyltransferase involved in de novo and maintenance methylation.

The subunit molecular size of human DNA methyltransferase isolated from nuclear extracts of placenta was determined on the electroblotted polypeptides after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and compared with the functional size by high performance size exclusion chromatography on Superose 12 and gamma radiation inactivation analysis. The sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis results indicated a subunit mass of 120 +/- 10 kDa, while the functional size data indicates that the enzyme operates both in de novo and maintenance modes as a dimer of molecular mass 220 +/- 15 kDa with no evidence of monomers in solution of ionic strength between 0.1 and 0.8 M NaCl. The 220-kDa activity carried out the transmethylation of both hemi- and unmethylated DNA substrates. There was no evidence for separate functional catalytic sites on each monomer subunit acting independently when engaged in methylation of hemimethylated or single-stranded DNA from the invariance of radiation inactivation target size with these substrates. The radiation inactivation target size was 230 +/- 15 kDa.