Methyltransferase Like Protein 5 (METTL5)

METTL5 belongs to the methyltransferase superfamily. PrmA family. A methyltransferase is a type of transferase enzyme that transfers a methyl group from a donor to an acceptor.

Methylation often occurs on nucleic bases in DNA or amino acids in protein structures. Methytransferases use a reactive methyl group bound to sulfur in S-adenosyl methionine (SAM) as the methyl donor. Site-specific methyltransferases have the same DNA target sequences as certain restriction enzymes. Methylation can also serve to protect DNA from enzymatic cleavage, since restriction enzymes are unable to bind and recognize externally modified sequences. This is especially useful in bacterial restriction modification systems that use restriction enzymes to cleave foreign DNA while keeping their own DNA protected by methylation.