New publication in "Genes"

DNA methylation is an essential part of the epigenome chromatin modification network. It is tightly connected with several covalent histone protein post-translational modifications, because the writers and erasers of DNA methylation (DNA methyltransferases and ten eleven translocation enzymes) are directly or indirectly targeted and regulated by other marks. In this review article, we have collected information about the genomic distribution and variability of DNA methylation in human and mouse DNA in different genomic elements. After summarizing the impact of DNA methylation on genome evolution including CpG depletion, we describe the connection of DNA methylation with several important histone post-translational modifications and nucleosome remodeling. We than present mechanistic features of mammalian DNA methyltransferases and their associated factors that mediate the crosstalk between DNA methylation and chromatin modifications.