N-lysine methyltransferase KMT5A is an
enzyme
Enzymes () are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different molecules known as products. A ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''KMT5A''
gene
In biology, the word gene (from , ; "...Wilhelm Johannsen coined the word gene to describe the Mendelian units of heredity..." meaning ''generation'' or ''birth'' or ''gender'') can have several different meanings. The Mendelian gene is a ba ...
.
The enzyme is a
histone methyltransferase
Histone methyltransferases (HMT) are histone-modifying enzymes (e.g., histone-lysine N-methyltransferases and histone-arginine N-methyltransferases), that catalyze the transfer of one, two, or three methyl groups to lysine and arginine residues of ...
,
SET domain-containing and lysine-specific. The enzyme transfers one
methyl group
In organic chemistry, a methyl group is an alkyl derived from methane, containing one carbon atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms, having chemical formula . In formulas, the group is often abbreviated as Me. This hydrocarbon group occurs in many ...
to
histone H4
Histone H4 is one of the five main histone proteins involved in the structure of chromatin in eukaryote, eukaryotic cells. Featuring a main globular domain and a long N-terminus, N-terminal tail, H4 is involved with the structure of the nucleos ...
lysine
Lysine (symbol Lys or K) is an α-amino acid that is a precursor to many proteins. It contains an α-amino group (which is in the protonated form under biological conditions), an α-carboxylic acid group (which is in the deprotonated −C ...
residue at position 20.
''S''-Adenosyl methionine (SAM) is both the
cofactor and the methyl group donor. The lysine residue is converted to
''N''6-methyllysine residue.
none, Leftmost: side chain of lysine. Next: ''N''6-methyllysine side chain.
This histone modification is often abbreviated H4K20me1:
* H4 - type of histone
* K - symbol of lysine
* 20 - position of the lysine residue modified
* me - abbreviation for methyl group
* 1 - number of methyl groups transferred
References
Further reading
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