DNA Cytosine Demethylation: Are We Getting Close?

Abstract

Whether 5-methylcytosine (meC) can be enzymatically removed from vertebrate DNA has been the subject of extensive study and also some controversy. Rai et al. (2008) now report that cytosine demethylation can be accomplished in a one-cell zebrafish embryo by the combined action of a cytidine deaminase and a thymine DNA glycosylase.