N6-Methyladenine (mA)

N6-Methyladenine is a methylated base found in prokaryotic DNA. In E. coli, methylation of A residues in the sequence 5´-GATC-3´ is involved in mismatch error correction, and it plays a role in controlling initiation of DNA replication. Methylation at other sites protects DNA against cleavage by restriction endonucleases (described here).

See also: DNA Methylation, Prokaryotic Mismatch Repair, Initiation of DNA Replication, N4-Methylcytosine

INTERNET LINK: The Effect of Site-Specific Methylation on Promega Restriction Enzymes