InterPro domain: IPR001077

This domain includes a range of O-methyltransferases some of which utilise S-adenosyl methionine as substrate [ 1 ]. In prokaryotes, the major role of DNA methylation is to protect host DNA against degradation by restriction enzymes. In eukaryotes, DNA methylation has been implicated in the control of several cellular processes, including differentiation, gene regulation, and embryonic development. O-methyltransferases have a common catalytic domain structure, which might be universal among S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet)-dependent methyltransferases [ 2 ].

Comparative analysis of the predicted amino acid sequences of a number of plant O-methyltransferase cDNA clones show that they share some 32-71% sequence identity, and can be grouped according to the different compounds they utilise as substrates [ 3 ].

1. Purification of a 40-kilodalton methyltransferase active in the aflatoxin biosynthetic pathway. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 59, 479-84
2. DNA modification by methyltransferases. Curr. Opin. Struct. Biol. 5, 4-10
3. Plant O-methyltransferases: molecular analysis, common signature and classification. Plant Mol. Biol. 36, 1-10