Naturally occurring methylation inhibitor: DNA hypomethylation and hemoglobin synthesis in human K562 cells.

A naturally occurring methylation inhibitor isolated from rabbit liver and named methinin inhibits a number of methyltransferases. Methinin is a low-molecular-weight compound (1,400) that has an active amine group. This compound inhibits the DNA methyltransferase of human erythroleukemia cells (K562) in vitro. When the K562 cells were grown in medium containing methinin, fetal hemoglobin was produced. Small but detectable amounts of adult hemoglobin were also produced. Methinin was not toxic to these cells. The overall rate of genomic DNA methylation was reduced by 60% in cells grown in medium containing methinin. Southern blots of genomic DNA from methinin-treated cells and untreated cells hybridized to a 32P-labeled globin gene probe showed that one site in the globin gene region was hypomethylated. Methinin is a naturally occurring compound which inhibits DNA methylation both in vitro and in vivo.