Are there different forms of methylation?
Posted January 3, 2024
Answer
There are two main forms of methylation – electrophilic methylation and nucleophilic methylation.
- In electrophilic methylations, electrophiles are the source of the methyl group that gets added to the lysine residues on the N-terminal tail of histone proteins. Diazomethane, iodomethane, dimethyl sulfate and dimethyl carbonate are common examples of electrophilic methylating agents.
- Nucleophilic methylations occur when a nucleophilic agent is used for the transfer of a methyl group. Tetramethyltin, dimethyl zinc, methyllithium, and trimethyl aluminum are common examples of nucleophilic methylating agents.
Additional resources
Principles of DNA methylation and their implications for biology and medicine