Expert Insight: 5-hmC Analysis MethodsAugust 5, 2010Last year’s discovery of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) caused some epigenetics researchers to suffer a crisis of confidence, provoking many hours of soul-searching questions such as “are my methylation data really accurate?” and “what if what I thought was gene silencing is really activation?” Although current estimates place 5-hmC levels at only a fraction of the 5-mC […]
Uncovering 5hmC’s Link to Stem Cell Self-RenewalAugust 3, 2010The search is on to figure out a role for the recently discovered 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) base. While it’s still up in the air if 5hmC will play a main character or just be cast as an extra , this new study in Nature ties the mysterious modification to a demethylation pathway, regulated by Tet proteins, […]
EpiGenie 2010 Mid-Year Editor’s Favorites: DNA MethylationJuly 21, 2010We’re halfway through 2010, so we’ve decided to take a look back at some of the best epigenetics publications we’ve covered so far this year. Here are some of our favorite DNA Methylation headlines. CpG-SNPs If your methylation profiles have been looking a little fuzzy, it could be CpG-SNPs are to blame. CpG-SNPs where found […]
Genes Weigh Their Alternative Promoter OptionsJuly 8, 2010It’s always nice to have options, but nowadays there are often so many choices that you can drive yourself crazy making a decision, just ask LeBron James. A recent Nature paper shows that even genes need a little input from DNA methylation when they consider using alternative gene promoters. Joseph Costello at UCSF and colleagues […]
Triplex Oligos Enable Targeted DNA MethylationJuly 8, 2010There’s a new tool out there, and it’s made for all of those researchers out there who have ever pointed to a bit of genomic sequence and wondered, “what would happen if that promoter CpG was methylated right there?” A new technique detailed in the latest issue of Bioconjugate Chemistry can help answer questions like […]