This entry represents protein arginine N-methyltransferase PRMT7 [].PRMT7 can catalyze the formation of omega-N monomethylarginine (MMA) and symmetrical dimethylarginine (sDMA), with a preference for the formation of MMA. It mediates the symmetrical dimethylation of arginine residues in the small nuclear ribonucleoproteins Sm D1 (SNRPD1) and Sm D3 (SNRPD3); such methylation being required for the assembly and biogenesis of snRNP core particles. It also mediates the symmetric dimethylation of histone H4 'Arg-3' to form H4R3me2s. It plays a role in gene imprinting by being recruited by CTCFL at the H19 imprinted control region (ICR) and methylating histone H4 to form H4R3me2s, possibly leading to recruit DNA methyltransferases at these sites. It may also play a role in embryonic stem cell (ESC) pluripotency [, , , ].
Protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) are enzymes that transfer methyl groups to the arginine residues of histones and other proteins. Arginine methylation is an important posttranslational modification process that plays functional roles in transcriptional control, splicing, DNA repair, and signaling [, , ]. PRMTs use S-adenosylmethionine(SAM or AdoMet)-dependent methylation to modify the guanidino nitrogens of the arginine side chain by adding one or two methyl groups []. According to their methylation status, the PRMT enzymes are classified into different group types. While the type-I PRMT enzymes catalyse the formation of monomethylarginine (MMA) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (aDMA), the type-II PRMT enzymes form MMA and symmetric dimethylarginine (sDMA). The enzymes PRMT1, PRMT3, PRMT4, PRMT6 and PRMT8 belong to the type-I and PRMT5, PRMT7 and PRMT9 to type-II.
