Brain Tumor Patients with DNA Methylation Live LongerMay 25, 2010Most patients diagnosed with brain tumors or gliomas only live about 15 months after the diagnosis, but a few patients beat the odds, living several more years. Researchers with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) now say that they can tell which patients will have better outcomes by looking at their DNA methylation. Those with a […]
DNA Methylation Takes a Back Seat To Histone Mods in miRNA RegulationMay 11, 2010DNA methylation has long been considered a key epigenetic driver in transcription, but lately histone modifications have been stealing some of the regulatory thunder. Histone mods like H3K4me3, H3K27me3 and H4 acetylation have shown researchers they’re not afraid to get conrolling when it comes to miRNA transcription either. Researchers from the Institute of Genetics and […]
Getting SMRT with Direct DNA Methylation DetectionMay 10, 2010Discovering a new use for something is always a nice suprise, sort of like finding a forgotten $20 bill in your back pocket. Researchers at Pacific Biosciences realized that their single-molecule, real-time (SMRT) sequencing technique could also have the bonus ability to directly detect DNA methylation (DNAm)—without bisulfite conversion or any other additional sample prep. […]
CpG-SNPs & Allele-Specific Methylation Lead to Fuzzy MethylationMay 6, 2010Interpreting DNA methylation data is tough enough when you get binary, yes/no results, but can be downright maddening when your CpG sites are giving you mixed signals. Researchers at UCSD have found that it’s been allele-specific methylation (ASM) and CpG-SNPs causing much of that “fuzzy methylation”. The scientists tackled the thorny issue of CpGs with […]
Tracing the Roots of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Yields DNA Methylation InsightsApril 28, 2010Most of us are at least somewhat curious about our lineage: are we descended from a king, an outlaw, or maybe just a particularly snazzy dresser? And do our distant cousins in faraway lands share certain characteristics (such as a penchant for polyester) with us? A group of researchers in Norway asked similar questions about […]
