This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Degnen, S. T. Articles by Morris, N. R. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Degnen, S. T. Articles by Morris, N. R.

Deoxyribonucleic Acid Methylation and Development in Caulobacter bacteroides

Department of Pharmacology, College of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Rutgers Medical School, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854

ABSTRACT

The stalked bacterium Caulobacter bacteroides, which displays a series of developmental changes during its life cycle, was shown to contain the methylated deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) nucleotide bases N⁶-methyladenine and 5-methylcytosine as well as the enzymes required for the synthesis of these bases. A difference in the specific activity of these enzymes was observed between swarmer cells, which are low in activity, and stalked cells, which are high in activity. This difference was not reflected in the methylation patterns in the DNA of the two cell types since C. bacteroides DNA is essentially completely methylated with respect to C. bacteroides methylases.