Arsenite Targets the Zinc Finger Domains of Tet Proteins and Inhibits Tet-Mediated Oxidation of 5-Methylcytosine.

ABSTRACT: Arsenic toxicity is a serious public health problem worldwide that brings more than 100 million people into the risk of arsenic exposure from groundwater and food contamination. Although there is accumulating evidence linking arsenic exposure with aberrant cytosine methylation in the global genome or at specific genomic loci, very few have investigated the impact of arsenic on the oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) mediated by the Ten-eleven translocation (Tet) family of proteins. Owing to the high binding affinity of As(III) toward cysteine residues, we reasoned that the highly conserved C3H-type zinc fingers situated in Tet proteins may constitute potential targets for arsenic binding. Herein, we found that arsenite could bind directly to the zinc fingers of Tet proteins in vitro and i

SUBMITTER: Liu S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4784102 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature