30 results about "S-methyltransferase activity" patented technology

Methods for amplifying a nucleic acid sample while preserving the methylation status of cytosines are disclosed. In some aspects the amplified methylated sample is modified by methylation sensitive modification and analyzed by hybridization to an array to identify cytosines that were methylated in the starting material and cytosines that were not methylated in the starting material. Methods for detecting methylation status are also disclosed. In one embodiment a DNA methyltransferase activity is included in the amplification reaction and this activity methylates the newly synthesized DNA using the methylated genomic template strand as a guide.

The present invention features a method for determining the methyltransferase activity of a polypeptide and screening for modulators of methyltransferase activity, more particularly for modulators of the methylation of retinoblastoma by SMYD3. The invention further provides a method or pharmaceutical composition for prevention or treating of colorectal cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, bladder cancer and/or breast cancer using a modulator so identified. N-terminal truncated forms of SMYD3 (alias ZNFN3A1) have higher methylating activity. Lys 824 is a preferred methylation site on the RB1 protein for SMYD3.

Murine and human Suv39h2 polypeptide and DNA molecules encoding them. Suv39h2 is a novel member of the Suv3-9 gene family. Suv39h2 is a novel component of meiotic higher order chromatin. It has histone methyltransferase activity and is required, in combination with Suv39h1, for male gametogenesis. Suv39h2 can be used in screening methods to identify modulators of its methyltransferase activity, which are useful in cancer therapy and for male contraception.

The present invention relates generally to a genetic sequence encoding a polypeptide having methyltransferase activity and the use of the genetic sequence and/or the polypeptide to modify one or more phenotypic characteristics of a plant. More particularly, the methyltransferase of the present invention acts on flavonoids, preferably wherein the flavonoid is an anthocyanin. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to a polypeptide having S-adenosyl-L-methionine:anthocyanin 3′-O-methyl-transferase or S-adenosyl-L-methionine:anthocyanin 3′,5′-O-methyltransferase activity. The present invention still further provides a genetic sequence encoding a polypeptide having methyltransferase activity derived from Petunia, Torenia Fuchsia or Plumbago or botanically related plants. The instant invention further relates to antisense and sense molecules corresponding to all or part of the subject genetic sequence as well as genetically modified plants as well as cut flowers, parts, extracts and reproductive tissue from such plants.

The current disclosure reveals a complex regulatory pattern between miR-31 and AR, indicating that miR-31 plays a key role in prostate cancer development and progression. Another aspect of the current disclosure shows that miR-31 directly targets and destabilizes AR mRNA through interaction with the AR mRNA coding sequence showing that miR-31, or a fragment thereof has the ability to act as a novel therapeutic agent in treating cancer. The current disclosure also shows that AR indirectly represses miR-31 expression by binding to the miR-31 promoter region and modulating methyltransferase activity. Another aspect of the current disclosure shows that miR-31 indirectly modulates AR activity by modulating regulators of cell cycle progression. The disclosure further provides an isolated nucleic acid that modulates the activity of the androgen receptor in a cell. The disclosure further provides a method of treating a prostate cancer in a subject, by administering to the subject an effective amount of an agent that modulates the activity or levels of miR-31.

Disclosed are novel methyltransferase assay methods, comprising: including, in a reaction mixture for a methyltransferase activity, a purified or recombinant adenosine nucleosidase activity that catalyses release of an adenine or adenine derivative moiety from a transmethylation product, and a purified or recombinant adenine deaminase activity that catalyses deamination of the released moiety to hypoxanthine or respective derivative and ammonia, wherein the methyltransferase activity is rate-limiting; and determining the methyltransferase activity by spectrophotometric or chromatographic monitoring of the coupled deamination reaction products, or of subsequent enzymatic or chemical reactions coupled thereto. Coupled oxidation of the hypoxanthine to uric acid and hydrogen peroxide is optionally affected using purified or recombinant xanthine oxidase, wherein the methyltransferase activity is rate-limiting, and wherein determining the methyltransferase activity comprises monitoring of the coupled oxidation reaction. Variations are disclosed comprises monitoring of reaction products (e.g., to detect NH3, Hypoxanthine, H2O2, and Uric Acid).

The invention discloses a method for evaluating the demethyltransferase activity of histone lysine. The method utilizes isotope labeled alpha-ketoglutaric acid and a nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscope to selectively monitor the change, in biological mixture, a substrate alpha-ketoglutaric acid and a product succinic acid of histone lysine demethyltransferase containing a Jumonji-C structure domain in real time so as to assess the demethyltransferase activity of the histone lysine. The method can determine enzyme activity and can be applied to the development of enzyme inhibitors.

The invention relates to a method for detecting the activity of catechol-oxygen-methyltransferase (COMT) in blood and belongs to the technical field of biological medicine. According to the invention,3-benzothiazole-7,8-dihydroxycoumarin (3-BTD) with high chemical stability is selected as the fluorescence substrate of COMT enzyme by virtue of the advantages of a high performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection combined instrument on biological matrix interference resistance and detection sensitivity; meanwhile, a high-efficiency and high-sensitivity measuring method capable of quantitatively analyzing the activity of a trace amount of COMT in the blood is developed by combining a high performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection technology. A fluorescence probe substrate adopted by the method can be obtained through chemical synthesis, the synthesis process is simple and practical, and the performance is stable. The method has the advantages of high sensitivity, high accuracy degree, high biological matrix interference resistance, high repeatability and the like, can be applied to detection on the activity of the COMT enzyme in the blood, and also canbe applied to quantitative measurement on the activity of the COMT enzyme in various mammal-derived cells or tissue preparation objects as well as screening and evaluation of a COMT inducer/activator.