Abcam EpiSeeker Assays Lead the Search for DNMT KnowledgeJune 13, 2012DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) have been a trending topic in the epigenetics community for years because of their role in cytosine methylation. Studies that set out to pin down the precise function of DNMTs in various disease and developmental states often introduce more questions than answers. To get to the bottom of DNMT function, you need […]
DNA Methylation Addiction Keeps Cancer Cells AliveJune 13, 2012Addictions are so strong that some people think they can’t live without them. For cancer cells, that’s actually the case. Cancer cells’ DNA methylation addiction actually keeps them alive, according to a group of California researchers. Altered DNA methylation is just one of many changes that go down when a cell becomes cancerous. The researchers […]
Epigenetics Book Reviews and Chapter SummariesJune 6, 2012Over the last year EpiGenie has reviewed a couple of the latest epigenetics textbooks for the site. As good citizens of the earth, we of course looked for ways to recycle the books (and the knowledge inside of them) once our writers were done with them. So, we sent our copies out to readers and […]
Nature AND Nurture Both Contribute to DNA MethylationJune 1, 2012A recent pub led by a talented research team might call for a ceasefire in the old “nature vs. nurture” argument. Researchers in The Netherlands and the U.S. say their new study on people conceived or born during the Dutch Famine of 1944-1945 piles on even more evidence that the prenatal environment and your genes […]
Allele-Specific Histone Modifications Frequent Disease LociMay 24, 2012Just as “identical” twins can sometimes have a few noticeable differences (one has a mole on her cheek, the other doesn’t), alleles that are copies of the same gene also can be different. Allele-specific methylation (ASM) might get all the attention, but now researchers in the U.K. say that allele-specific histone modification (ASHM) might be […]