Gommers-Ampt J H, Borst P
The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Division of Molecular Biology, Amsterdam.
FASEB J. 1995 Aug;9(11):1034-42. doi: 10.1096/fasebj.9.11.7649402.
Modified DNA bases are widespread in nature. They can be found in eukaryotes, prokaryotes, and bacteriophages. They may completely replace the standard base or replace only a small fraction. Their substituents vary from simple methyl or hydroxy groups to large moieties like amino acids and multiply hexosylated side chains. This review gives an overview of the modified DNA bases identified thus far, with emphasis on the "very unusual" or hypermodified DNA bases. Although these have been detected mainly in bacteriophages, recent work has shown the presence of a novel hypermodified DNA base in the eukaryote Trypanosoma brucei. We speculate on the biosynthesis and function of this novel base beta-D-glucosyl-hydroxymethyluracil.
修饰的DNA碱基在自然界中广泛存在。它们存在于真核生物、原核生物和噬菌体中。它们可能会完全取代标准碱基，或者只取代一小部分。其取代基从简单的甲基或羟基到如氨基酸和多己糖基化侧链等大的基团不等。本综述概述了迄今为止已鉴定出的修饰DNA碱基，重点介绍了“非常特殊的”或高度修饰的DNA碱基。尽管这些碱基主要在噬菌体中被检测到，但最近的研究表明，真核生物布氏锥虫中存在一种新型的高度修饰的DNA碱基。我们推测了这种新型碱基β-D-葡萄糖基-羟甲基尿嘧啶的生物合成和功能。
