Organization, replication and modification of the human genome: synthesis and methylation of palindromic, repeated and unique HeLa nDNA sequences during the S-phase.

At least five supermethylated nDNA families have been found in HeLa cells. The concentration of 5-methylcytosine increases on palindromes from 1 to 5 hours during the nDNA duplicative phase, decreasing again at the 6th hour of S. The early S-phase involves the accumulation of 5-methylcytosines on the nDNA sequences reassociating near a Cot = 3 x 10(-1). Late S involves increment of this base on the sequences which reassociate near a Cot = 9 x 10(-1) and Cot = 7 x 10(1). The unique sequences show a moderate methylation from 3 to 6 hours of S. This information shows that genes are methylated with an order during the S-phase in a system in which nDNA organization, modification and replication appear to be severely subordinated one to another. The possible role of methylation of foldback nDNA in regulation of transcription during the eukaryotic cell life cycle is discussed.