Epigenetics and TwinsFebruary 8, 2012Every summer outside Cleveland, Ohio identical twins congregate at the Twins Days Festival. Twins from all over join in on an assortment of activities over three days that resembles a massive Doublemint® gum commercial. It’s not just the twins that get stoked for the festival though. As was highlighted in a nice article in National […]
Big DNA Methylation Changes in Little TikesFebruary 7, 2012Kids grow and change so fast. One day, they’re learning to walk. The next day, they’re Twittering and texting while driving your car. In the first study to analyze age-related DNA methylation (DNAm) changes in pediatric blood samples, an all-star cast of researchers out of Emory University now report that DNAm changes more rapidly during […]
Assisted Reproduction Treatments May Cause Imprinting ProblemsJanuary 26, 2012These days, there is more than one way to make a baby. Unfortunately though, the newer ways still don’t have things down to a science yet. Assisted reproduction treatments (or technology, known as ART) are clinical procedures designed to help patients with fertility issues get pregnant. But reports have documented a rise in cases of […]
5-hmC Stability a Mixed Bag in Neural Development and AgingJanuary 25, 2012Just like tweets about the U.S. Presidential race, updates on the function of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) keep pouring in. For a while, no one really knew what the mod did, but new reports find that while some 5-hmC marks are stable, and others are dynamic, both may be critical for neural development right after birth and […]
DNA Methylation: 2011 Editor’s FavoritesJanuary 11, 2012DNA methylation research had a little something for everyone in 2011. Not only was it linked to cancer, diet, post-traumatic stress, socio-economic status and heritability; but more was learned about 5-hydroxymethylcytosine as well. As if that wasn’t enough, two new cytosine variants, 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxylcytsosine, joined the party this year too. We can’t wait to […]
