5-Methyl-2'-deoxycytidine (mC) at CpG sites plays a key role in the epigenetic gene regulation, cell differentiation, and carcinogenesis. Despite the importance of mC for normal cell function, CpG dinucleotides are known as mutagenesis hotspots. Deamination of mC yields T, causing C→T transitions. However, several recent studies demonstrated the effect of epigenetic modifications of C on the fidelity and efficiency of DNA polymerases and excision repair enzymes. The review summarizes the available data that indicate the existence of deamination-independent mechanisms of mutagenesis at CpG sites.
Keywords: 5-methyl-2'-deoxycytidine; CpG sites; DNA lesions; DNA polymerases; repair.