Writers & Erasers
DNMTs write methyl marks. TETs erase them. The balance defines the epigenetic pattern.
“The goal is not to methylate everything. The goal is to regulate the right genes, in the right tissues, at the right time, at the right intensity.”
DNMTWriters
- DNMT1 — maintenance (copies marks at cell division)
- DNMT3A / 3B — de novo (creates new patterns)
TETErasers
- TET1 / TET2 / TET3 — oxidize 5mC → 5hmC → demethylation
- Depend on α-ketoglutarate, iron, vitamin C, oxygen.
Think of DNMT as a pen and TET as an eraser. The epigenetic pattern is what remains after continuous writing and erasing.
5 / 7 CpG · starting state