University of Toronto Scarborough

DNA Methylation

DNA methylation is a covalent bond between a methyl group and, in mammals, the 5’ cytosine ring of the dinucleotide combination CG. Because it involves a covalent bond, DNA methylation is a very stable epigenetic modification. DNA methylation in the promoter regions of genes is usually associated with the silencing of gene expression. Imprinted genes are examples of epigenetic control by DNA methylation, where one allele - either from the mother or from the father - is switched off by DNA methylation.

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I (we) wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land.

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DNA Methylation